A change of Scene
by Tendencies' Wrath
Summary: Remake already published. This story will remain for undisclosed reasons.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**P****rologue: A different start.**

* * *

"Oh?" He asked darkly, watching amusedly at the brat crawling on the floor to grab his leg by the ankle and try to squish it into oblivion. He felt like laughing. He just got rid of the bigger threat to the plan he has been personally charged to fulfill and now this pink-haired brat appears out of nowhere to defy him, sprouting flames from his body like no one has ever done and claiming to be the one to clear that place from darkness.

He knew who was the one to tell him those filthy lies, it was Simon, who else? But, he couldn't blame the guy… nor this kid, not everyone was ready to witness a world exclusively for mages when they have been accustomed to see normal people for centuries. He couldn't blame the kid, that's why he will forgive him and take him under his wing.

But… for starters.

"What's your name kid?" The blue haired boy asked with a small smile, the small smile widening when the boy's eyes widened in surprised and the hold on his ankle dropped to a minimum. "I want to know your name."

"My name's Natsu…" The boy muttered weakly, dropping his face to the ground, too tired to do anything else. Jellal smirked, signaling his cloaked-guards to take the boy away, but not before giving special instructions to them.

"Take care of his wounds, feed him and send him to a good bed… this one is special to me." He said, receiving a nod from the jailers before they walked away with the boy on their shoulders. Consciously taking care of the kid while the azure-haired boy sat on his throne with a small smirk, everything was just working too great for him, it was almost impossible. "Zeref, you really want me to succeed, don't you?"

* * *

_A month later…_

"Come on, Natsu, we really need to work on this…" The azure-haired boy tried to convince his new friend, earning a pout and a shake of head as an answer. He liked the boy, enough to not pummel him to the ground for saying no to him. And he was eager to know the extents of the boy's magic, even if only the oldest and wisest of sages could be the ones to tell. "Come on, after this, we'll go to eat something!"

"Uh? Really?" Jellal nodded and that was all Natsu needed to jump back on his feet. "Can we eat flamed meat?"

"Of course! Why not?" The blue-haired boy said with a smile.

"Then let's go! Let's end this and go to eat already!"

Jellal chuckled at the eagerness of the pink-haired, readying his stance before letting Natsu know that he was ready to fight him. It was good to have him here, some smiles and unpredictability to his surroundings, just what he needed after a hard day of convincing the workers to keep on with the construction of the tower.

"Yeah! I'm all fired-up!"

* * *

_3 years later…_

"What happened?" The blue-haired man asked with a small understanding smile, looking at his most loyal servant and friend kneeling before him with clenched fists, his clothes tattered and dirty with mud; he could imagine the pink-haired clenching his teeth at what happened and that he failed to avoid. "Come on, Natsu, you can tell me…"

"Some prisoners escaped, Jellal… They escaped and I couldn't do shit about it!" The pink-haired engulfed his fists in flames and pounded them hardly against the floor repeatedly, scaring the cloaked-guards behind him and making Jellal's smile widen; the azure-haired boy stood up from his throne, walking calmly towards Natsu, ignoring the small shaking on the floor to gently lay a hand on the boy's shoulder, stopping him completely.

"Natsu, don't worry, they won't get far… and besides, we have many prisoners to continue with the construction…" The dragon-slayer looked up in surprised, seeing his friend's smile eased him. "Besides! We can always get more people to work here, right?"

"R-right! You're right, Jellal!" Natsu yelled enthusiastically while standing up in less than a second, his eyes shining again and his smile coming back to him. "We can always get more people to work here!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we can let them escape, right?" Jellal said with a small smile and honest eyes, his hand still on the pink-haired boy's shoulder; Natsu nodded repeatedly with a small grin.

"Of course we can't!" Patting the boy on the back, Jellal dismissed him and watched him leave the room, waiting for a few minutes until he was sure that Natsu was out of ears reach before moving his anger-filled eyes to glare at his guards.

"You fools! This happened because of you and your weak wills!" Jellal yelled to the guards in the room, pressuring them to the ground with his magic before softening it up. "I don't blame Natsu for what happened; I blame you and your poor skills to even prevent a few prisoners from escaping! Now, go to your posts and watch closely! I won't be as forgiving as today next time!"

"H-hai! Jellal-sama!" And as they were retreating, a female figure appeared from the dark, making the blue-haired boy smile before turning his head to see a girl standing next to his throne.

"Ultear, where were you?" The girl chuckled, playing with a small orb in her hand before addressing her supposed boss.

"I was taking care of a small guild that was defying our way to the definite magic world, nothing else." Jellal nodded with a bigger smile and went to sit on his throne.

"Great, less threats against our great end!" He said with a wicked grin.

"Oh, but the biggest threat lingers close, never heard of that?" She said with a meditating voice, making the boy frown at her words and their meaning.

"Natsu is not a threat! He is my friend! My first real friend after Zeref told me of my destiny!" He said with strong words. "I won't doubt him, not even one second!"

"As you say, I just tell you, keep an eye on him," Ultear pushed the matter, still not convinced about Natsu's loyalty to their cause. "You don't know what the future might bring to stop our great goal."

"Hmmm." Jellal grunted in reply, thinking over her words but quickly disregarding them, Natsu never showed a hint of being against his idea of a pure magical world, at least, not after he told him about how that will bring Igneel back. He smirked to Ultear, the girl catching his line of thinking. "Don't worry; he's under control anyway…"

"As you say…" The girl said with a small shrug, starting to walk away before stopping on her feet and looking in thinking; Jellal guessed she had more to say.

"Why are you here, Ultear?" That seemed to light a bulb over her head, as she turned around quickly with a big smirk and made her orb float in front of Jellal, the thing showing images of Era and the Magic Council.

"Oh, I almost forgot! How do feel about wearing the council's uniform?" Jellal quirked an eyebrow at that, thinking about what she was implying before smirking.

"White is not my color…" Both of them laughed darkly at the joke, the sound echoing through the whole tower.

* * *

_5 years later…_

In a big white building of ancient structure, with blue rooftops and ample courtyard, a small orb rustled from here and there before cracking… and going back to normal to continue with its rustling around the large room where 9 sages were gathered and some of them were sitting comfortably on their chairs with a big round table in the middle separating them.

"Ultear, stop playing, can't you see we're in a meeting?" A man of young age asked to the woman now coming to rest on an empty seat, the woman being of pale skin, dark-purple eyes and dark-purple hair, dressing with a long white sleeveless dress that was tied on the waist to accentuate her developed and voluptuous body.

"But I'm bored, aren't you two? Siegrain-sama? Luminer-sama?" The woman asked, sitting on her chair with a small apologetic smile, looking at the other two in the room that were as young as she.

Siegrain smirked, nodding to her words. "Yeah, you're right, I hope someone causes a mess soon…"

"Watch your words!" Some of the older members of that council said, frowning at the younglings words. "Why cannot you be like Luminer-san? He doesn't acts or talks recklessly like you two!"

"That's because I would like to get my boredom out by fighting someone, not by wishing to the stars… you old fart…" The other youngster in the room said, earning growls from the older members and laughs from his young companions. But a stern voice cut them short.

"Silence, you three!" Everyone quieted down, hearing the leader of that council hitting his cane on the floor. "The magic world has enough problems already, especially with those fools from Fairy Tail! We don't need that in this place!"

Several nodded to the head's words, hearing the wisdom in them… but then again, the youngsters…

"Still… why cannot I go and pummel some sense into those idiots? I bet it will work better than a note telling them not to act so rashly…" Luminer said, his pink-hair obscuring his eyes as he moved his right arm to light a small flame around his fist; a small grin showing itself to everyone as he chuckled with Ultear and Siegrain following him and nodding to his words.

"He's right, you know?" The purple-haired woman said after a few moments of uncomfortable silence passed, winking in the other youngsters' direction. "Why don't we go and show them why they must respect us?"

"Why?" One of the members asked in disbelief, glaring at the grinning teenagers. "I'll tell you why! They destroyed half a port!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if a whole city comes next!"

"Don't temp it, I've got the feeling they can do just that…" Siegrain said with faked fear, snickering together with his two friends. The others glared at them, but then, Luminer sighed and tried to calm himself to address the rest of the council and the matter that gathered them all of them there.

"Anyway, I told the government that they did it in sake of capturing the criminal Bora." The others lowered their glares for a moment, but then, the head of the council sighed.

"Oh, great… that'll give those idiots more way to do as they please…"

"Well, I like those idiots, you know?" The azure-haired man said nonchalantly with his arms supporting his head and his face sporting a wide smile that tempted Ultear and Luminer to laugh.

"Shut up, you…!" Another member yelled.

"It is true that they are idiots, but they know very strong magic…" Another member with a cane and noticeable moustache said.

"That's why we're at a disadvantage…" Two other said in unison.

"Exactly, and that makes it a delicate problem…" An old woman said.

"Just let them be…" Luminer said to the shocked faces of everyone, his hand rising again with flames around it. "If they break any serious rules, I'll go and scorch their guild to the ground…"

Siegrain and Ultear nodded with smiles on their faces, on the contrary to the frowning faces of the other council members.

"Just so you know…" The young woman started, her smile growing. "If we didn't have idiots like them, the world wouldn't be as fun…"

"In that, you're right, Ultear-san…" The pink-haired youngster remarked, dropping his hand to his chair's armrest, smirking ever so lightly. "Besides! I would like to test my strength against some of their members… like Gildartz, Mystogun, Laxus, Ryota… Hell! I will be willing to fight that 'Titania' they are so proud of!"

"Oh? You should watch your words, Luminer, the Titania is a strong mage, you know?" Siegrain said with a small chuckle, watching amusedly how Luminer's smirk dropped to the ground. "I heard rumors saying she might take your seat one of these days…"

"Yeah, I heard that too…" Ultear added to the conversation. "But I heard it from some people in this room…"

Several looked away at that statement with troubled faces, to what Luminer growled in anger and disbelief.

"What?" He yelled while standing up from his seat roughly, startling everyone but his two friends, who were containing their laughs. "She? My seat? Like hell! I'll go and show her why I'm in this position!"

And he moved to leave the room, to everyone's shock.

"Luminer! Come and sit now! No one doubts your skills!" The head of the council yelled while standing up too, his cane hitting the ground strongly to cause a small shaking. The pink-haired stopped just in front of the doors, his eyes shadowed before he turned to glare at the head of the council; his black-onyx eyes burning deep into the souls of those around and watching him.

"Sorry, old man, but I can't let a challenge go like nothing…" And after that, he opened the door and left… much to everyone's surprise and relief, God knows they don't want Luminer's magic breaking free inside that room. But then, Siegrain and Ultear couldn't contain themselves any longer and they let their laughs out, making the others look at them angrily and surprise.

"What's wrong with you two?"

Ultear waved a hand in front of her, dismissing the topic as nothing before falling to the floor in laughter, Siegrain moving in to answer for her, hardly containing his laughs.

"Nothing, we just thought how much you complain about collateral damage, and how you let the most dangerous mage in the world get out to do as he pleases!" And he dropped to the ground to join the woman in laughter, winking at her for a mere second before continuing with his laughter; leaving the council members looking at each other with troubled faces… until the head of them sighed and ordered for an unit of Rune Knights to follow Luminer and watch his moves closely.

"Youngsters…" He sighed out together with the other old council members, rubbing his temple tiredly before coming to think of how to explain Fairy Tail the injuries done to one of his mages and the people about the damages caused.

Why did he have to be the head just now?

* * *

_In a faraway town, two days later…_

"Are you the one from Fairy Tail? Erza Scarlet, right?" One of the townsfolk asked nervously, the others around him shaking in fear as him, making the scarlet haired sorcerer quirk an eyebrow in confusion before replying.

"Yes, I am, is this the town having troubles with a pack of wild wolves?" One of the shaking townsfolk was going to answer her but another voice cut him short.

"Yes, they _were_ having troubles… but I got here first!" Realizing that the sun wasn't hitting her face any longer, Erza looked up and saw a square shaped object falling in her direction, she jumped back and covered her face in case it was an attack. But then, nothing happened, and looking closely and carefully, what fell in her previous position wasn't an attack nor a person… it was a well-tied pack of furs… twelve of them to be exact.

"What's the meaning of this?" She asked to the still shaking people, seeing the nervous and troubled looks shot in between them before one of them gave a step forward, bowing in front of the Titania to later move aside with an apologetic face. The scarlet-haired knight was going to lose the last of her patience, no one was answering her questions and the voice that she heard before didn't let itself be show… until a great fire erupted from the back of the group of townsfolk gathered on the middle of the street, making them move to the sides to let the tower of fire advance towards the Titania.

"Looking for something?" She heard a voice inside the fire that seemed like a male's one, and squinting her eyes, she could discern the form of a tall man in between the red-orange flames.

The temperature's rise was starting to make her feel uncomfortable in her armor, the magic pressure made her stood still on her feet, and the flames –strong as the sun's light- made her eyes narrow to take a better look on the one walking close to her… the figure, even if closer by the second, still wasn't discernible enough for her to tell who was it because of those damn flames surrounding it!

But then, something clicked in her mind, there was only one mage in Fiore… in the magic world that was able to walk through fire without being harm…! And that one was…!

"You…!" She yelled in obvious surprise, not believing she would meet him there; and him out of anyone!

The figure stopped a few inches in front of her, the flames disappearing to let the Titania see the one she wasn't expecting to face that day. A grinning man of spiky and short pink hair and elegant yet simple robes, consisting of a black, long tunic, with gold stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated collar and large straps connected to decorated buckles that were untied to let the inside white shirt with the black ankh be seen, and matching pants and shoes. A long scaled scarf encircling his neck and adding a sophisticate look to his clothing.

She swallowed the lump in her throat with what saliva survived the high temperatures, saying the name of the guy standing in front of her while taking a few steps back in shocked surprise.

He, who was one of the youngest mages to ever be in the Magic Council.

He, who was said to be able to defeat five guilds by himself.

He, who was able to command the flames as he willed.

The pink-haired council member that was feared all-over Fiore and no one dare to challenge. Erza widened her eyes in surprise, looking up and down at the man standing in front of her and his face, still unbeliever that he was actually standing right there and then. "L-luminer Dragneel!"

"That's right!" He said with his grin still in place, his arms crossing before he changed to a fighting position; prepared to confront the woman in front of him with a serious look overtaking him and making the Titania ready herself too and summon a sword out of reflexes alone. "Luminer Dragneel! At your service, Erza Scarlet!"

**To be continued.**

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**New story! Yay! I don't know why, this just came to me after I read a certain story and I just had to share it!  
**

**Credits to 'you know who'! And also thanks! For lending an OC for this story!  
**

**So, what'll happen? Is Luminer going to fight Erza? Erza will fight him back? Siegrain and Ultear are still plotting to destroy everything?  
**

**Who knows?  
**

**Might as well stay tune and expecting for the next chapter!**

**Until then!  
**

**Saludos!  
**

**PS: Edition made to correct mistakes and add some things.  
**


	2. A Good Reason

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 1: A good reason.**

_In the Magic Council at Era._

"Ultear." Siegrain said while entering his partner's room, watching around the empty place to find the one that could show him the battle between his friend and the traitor, eyeing in between the desk near the window and the libraries at the side before shaking his head in embarrassment. He walked closer to the desk and by crossing through an invisible wall of runes he found what he was looking for. "There you are, you should sit like a lady, you know?"

"I know that… Tch, killjoy…" Ultear muttered playfully before strengthening her revealing position on the chair to lay her orb on top of the table, using her magic to make the sphere grow larger and allow her and her blue-haired co-conspirator watch the fight without troubles. "Any bets?"

"Oh? I'll bet for…"

"No obvious bets allowed, sorry." She said shaking her head, a grin showing itself when she saw Siegrain frowning at her comment. "Oh, please, you know Natsu's going to win, so why bother with bets?"

"Who said I was betting for Natsu?" He said with a smile, making the purple-haired beauty quirk an eyebrow. "I want him to win, yes, but I also want him to grow stronger… and believe me, Scarlet will be a good challenge for him."

"So confident; I wonder if I did wrong in betting for 'Luminer-sama'…" She muttered with faked regret, earning a small chuckle from the man in front of her.

"Oh, I don't know, the odds are fifty-fifty in my mind…" Ultear frowned.

"So you want to test his strength and see if he's still of use to our plan?" Siegrain shook his head with a smile. "Then…?"

"I told you, I want him to grow stronger, and if losing to someone like the Titania will make that happen, then, so be it."

"You're a really good friend, you know that?" She said with sarcasm dripping in every word, the azure-haired man just shrugged and grinned widely.

"I'm a friend that cares, mind you."

* * *

_At the town._

A small breeze, people running and two figures standing one in front of the other and facing each other on a street of dirt that was the entrance to that small and troubled town, one standing ready to fight while the other was still adjusting to the situation; Erza shook her head and snapped out of her shock, tightening the hold on her sword as her eyes narrowed towards the pink-haired man standing five meters away from her.

"What do you want?" She asked, readying her stance to what she already believed to be the answer.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, shaking his head in regret. "Don't tell me I came all the way here to fight a dumb mage?"

The hold on her sword tightened, another one appearing in her free hand as her eyes shadowed. "What did you say?"

"Oh god and you're deft too?" Luminer said in complete regret, dropping his stance to turn around to walk away, a smirk playing on his lips as he continued with his taunts about the information he managed to gather of the Titania in the Council's archives. "So… you're a girl that only knows how to swing a sword?"

Erza twitched at the words, her armor making a few clanking sounds because of her building anger.

"From a guild as strong as Fairy Tail, I expected something better…" He continued with his smirk growing, feeling the rise in magic pressure from the knight; he put his hands behind his head, kicking a random rock that was in front of him and turning to see the anger-boiling Titania with disillusioned eyes. "Please don't tell me you also like strawberry cake… that would be mind-shattering to me…"

*snap!*

* * *

_In the Magic Council._

"He really knows how to annoy people…" Siegrain commented in mild surprise, his face going blank when he saw Ultear smirking at the words she heard. "Don't tell me. You taught him that."

"Me?" She asked with faked innocence, shaking her head repeatedly. "I didn't do anything…"

"Ultear…"

"Okay, I taught him a thing or two, but I promise you that most of what you heard and saw was already in him." She explained with a frown, remembering how the dragon-slayer got to her nerves the times she was in charge of training him. Siegrain looked at her plainly for a moment before smirking again, shaking his head again with a small snicker.

"He never seems to stop surprising me."

*snap!*

"Oh? What was that?" He asked in surprise, having never heard that kind of noise before; Ultear shook her head in annoyance.

"That was the Titania's patience breaking." Siegrain sweatdropped at the statement, looking at the purple-haired woman for verification of the words she said before widening his eyes in surprise when she nodded. His friend's abilities were many and some of them were of the kind he never wanted to test by himself.

But then, he snorted. "This will be even more interesting than what I originally thought."

* * *

_At the town._

'Ex-quip user, skilled swordswoman, short-tempered, proud of her guild and strawberry-cake lover… this was easier than what I thought!' He thought with a laugh, running through the streets and alleys to avoid his hunter.

"Take it back!" She yelled in complete rage, swinging her swords madly to hit the laughing pink-haired, not a single slash touching him while they kept on that dance of 'hit –taunt- and run' through the whole town; destroying some buildings in the process and scaring the locals so much that they decided to run to the forests. "Take it back! Damn you!"

"Take back what?" He asked in faked puzzlement, looking dumbly at her before jumping away from a vertical slash that made a deep narrow hole in the street road; he laughed even harder. "I didn't take anything from you, Titania!"

"You know of what I'm talking about!" He jumped to the rooftops, jumping from one to another while avoiding the strong strikes the angered woman behind was trying to lay on him. He turned around, continuing his escape with his back facing the way he was taking, a small smile and a wink of eye making the scarlet-haired woman glare at him fiercely.

"Oh! You want me to 'take you' back?" The question in itself made the Titania stop dry on her feet.

* * *

_In the Magic Council._

"He's dead." Ultear muttered with a long sigh, her head hurting as she remembered Natsu doing the same with her a year ago; Siegrain rolled on the floor in laughter, not believing his friend's words.

* * *

_At the town._

"You know, I would remember if I ever 'take' a woman like you to my chambers." He said playfully with crossed arms, jumping around the Titania from a safe distance with a lecherous-yet-playful smile on his face. "I bet you're wild in bed…"

*crack!*

'Okay, she broke the handle of her swords with her clenched fists… that can't be good…' Luminer thought with a drop of sweat travelling south from his eyebrow, his face dropping when he realized that 'maybe' he went too far. 'I think I overdid it, better leave now.'

And he did as such, picking one way from many to quickly run away from the about to explode volcano behind him and save his life. From his memories with Ultear, women don't like it when you talk to them that way and she was throughout in teaching him that… and he didn't want to revive that experience, so, off he goes.

But when he was jumping from one roof to another with a street separating them, he felt something over him, a weird feeling that made him remember the expression the prisoners at the tower used to say when there were too many guards in one room staring at them. 'I feel like there are a hundred swords behind my back…'

And indeed, it was true.

Looking up, Luminer witnessed a hundred swords falling at great speed towards him; he sweatdropped, knowing that he couldn't avoid the attack. 'Women…'

He moved his arms to cover himself but a figure appeared on top of him.

It was the Titania, and she was expressionless.

He widened his eyes in shock. "Wait! You want to kill me but you cover me from your own attack?"

The knight remained quiet, her eyes shadowed to the pink-haired while the both of them fell to the ground, Luminer closed his eyes and prepared for the worst; the shower of swords raining upon them for almost a full minute.

When the last sword fell, Luminer remained with his eyes closed and started to check if he could feel any damage at all.

'Arms? Fine. Legs? Fine. Torso? Fine. Head? A small ache, not much.'

So, he dared to open his eyes and check on what happened, his onyx orbs widening in shock and what actually happened.

He was under the scarlet-haired knight and she was stretching his arms and legs to the sides and… he looked at his extremities… his face paled... he wasn't hurt, not one bit… instead of that, he was nailed to the ground with several swords holding him in place and stopping him from running away.

He wasn't hurt and she wasn't either, from what he could see.

He gaped terrified at the precision of her strikes. 'Scary…!'

Shakily turning his face to look up, he wished he hadn't have done so, he saw the red-head smirking devilish at his predicament, her eyes shining bright red behind the shadow her hair created.

He gulped down in fear, sweating profusely at what was surely going to happen.

"I wasn't looking to cover you," She started, dropping her demonic-self to smile softly at the man under her, making him heave a sigh of relief… before her demonic-self returned full force and scared the hell out of him. "I was looking for a way to punish you properly!"

"AHHHH!" The scream was heard in depths of the forests, making some of the refugees look at each other in questioning.

"That guy must be really powerful to make a girl scream like that." Several nodded to that statement…

Oh, how wrong they were.

"Get off of me!" Luminer yelled desperately, moving around and making the Titania sitting on his lap growl in annoyance.

"Stay still, dammit!" She tried to hit him with her fists, but he kept on dodging her, his head moving from left to right quickly while he tried to get out of there. Erza growled fiercely, clenching her right fist tightly before hitting him on the gut, making him spat some saliva and cough for a bit before painfully continuing with his moves to escape from her. "I said…!"

"I heard what you said! Dammit!" Luminer yelled to her, stopping to glare at her surprised face. "And stop screaming, girl! I'm not deft like you!"

Wrong choice of words.

The Titania stood up from her sitting position with shadowed eyes, moving a step back to Luminer's relief, who tried to escape the sword imprisonment, if not because…

"Shut up!" And the woman kicked him in between the legs, to the pink-haired's disgrace.

* * *

_In the Magic Council._

Siegrain stood frozen on the spot, looking with shadowed eyes at what happened to his friend; a hand moving to cover the spot in between his legs by instinct as he was almost able to feel the pain Natsu suffered.

As for Ultear, let's say that roles changed and now, she was the one laughing madly on the floor.

* * *

_At the town._

"Are you going to stay quiet and accept your punishment already?" Erza asked with narrowed eyes, not concerned in seeing a member of the Council and one of the strongest mages in Fiore crying in pain because of the blow he received.

"Y-you're scary…" Luminer managed to say in between grunts of pain, trying his best to stop the tears and hold back the pain he was feeling. "Y-you didn't need to kick me… _there_… a simple 'please' would have sufficed… you know?"

"You're annoying and you owed me that, after all you said…" She dispelled her swords, crossing her arms and sighing tiredly at what happened. She stared at the pink-haired man trying to stand shakily on his feet for a moment before she thought it was time to get some answers. "Why are you here, Luminer?"

He sighed, brushing away the pain as it was almost a little more bearable now, and looked at the Titania in the eyes with seriousness. "I came here to see who's stronger."

A soft breeze passed by, carrying dust and leaves with it as the two stared at each other intensively.

"That's all?" She asked with a confused face, making Luminer gape at her words.

"What?" He asked in shock. "How's that? 'That's all?' Of course not! I came here to prove that I'm stronger than you!"

"Huh." She said with a straight face. "The Council asked you to test me?"

"No, it was my own decision!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"So, you think I'm strong enough to be in the Council." She said as a matter of fact; Luminer shook his head vehemently. "Then what? You came here because you wanted to fight a strong mage?"

"Of course! What other reason could I have?" He yelled to the skies, not understanding how this woman couldn't see the logic in his actions. She sighed tiredly.

"There are many reasons; some are more valid than yours." She said with slightly closed eyes, she was losing interest in this.

"Name me four!" He demanded; wanting to hear what other better reasons could there be for fighting a strong mage.

She raised a hand, lifting one finger with each reason.

"First, I'm fitted to be in the Council and they sent you to test me."

"Second, you thought I'm fitted to be in the Council so you came here to test me."

"Third, you had reason to think I'm a dark mage and came here to get me in jail."

"Or fourth, you're interested in me and asked me for a fight since you couldn't find a better reason to talk with me." She said the four reasons he asked for, dropping her hand and shrugging at his frozen figure. "Either way, I have no interests of been in the Council, I'm not a dark mage and lastly, I have no interest in pursuing a relationship now."

"Wait…" Luminer muttered quietly, his eyes twitching at her words.

"So, if that was all, I'll leave to my other job now."

"Wait…"

And she started to walk away before the 'statued' Luminer, leaving him alone on the spot with a solemn face on her, but not without saying something that she remembered after seeing the destruction caused because of their 'small' quarrel.

"Oh, and thank you for completing this job for me, please, use the reward to pay for the damages done to the town."

1… 2… 3…

"I SAID WAIT!" And an explosion of flames occurred behind the bored Titania; she turned around, watched the figure of the pink-haired mage standing in the middle of the wild fire burning the closer buildings and narrowed her eyes; her only excuse to keep staring being the waiting to hear his next words. "I have no reason like that!"

She sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly; how did a brat as immature as him managed to be in the Council? Or be considered a Sage in the first place? If it was because of his strength, then she knew a lot of mages that could be considered Sages… and some of them were smarter than this man… or at least have a reason for their actions.

"Then what's your reason for fighting, Luminer?" She asked tiredly, believing to know the answer; he surely was one of those spoiled brats that had an ego problem and wanted to fight to keep his stupid pride intact.

He started to walk in her direction slowly.

"I'll tell you, if you fight me, Titania of Fairy Tail."

She thought about it. He seemed really serious about this fight against her, not anyone was this persistent for just a normal fight. 'So he does have a reason beyond proving who's stronger…'

"What do you say, Titania?" He asked to her, stopping in front of her again, as when they met for the first time that day; she narrowed her eyes, closing them for a moment to nod at his request.

"If it truly means a lot to you, I'll fight you." She said, jumping back when she saw the smirk in between the flames around him. A flash of light and her normal armor changed, the one she was sporting now was a black and orange one with a red bladed sword in her hand; her face stern as it would be normally. "Try your best."

Natsu's grin reached insane proportions, he could feel the adrenaline already running through his veins; this was a fight, with a strong mage that he wished to fight and not some of Jellal's weak objectives.

A real fight with a strong mage from a strong guild, he laughed before lunging forward, his flames disappearing to show him genuinely happy at the situation.

"Hahaha! I'm all fired-up!"

* * *

_In the Magic Council._

"What if something goes wrong and he easily beats the Titania?" Ultear asked, wondering the possibilities of the fight even if she knew almost everything about the fighters involved and the possibilities for each one.

Siegrain shrugged. "It doesn't matter; it'll just show she wasn't much of a threat to begin with."

"And if she beats him?" The azure-haired man smirked.

"If she beats him, Natsu will learn more and he'll become stronger than what he is now," He closed his eyes with a content smile. "If they fight again, the winner will be decided from the start."

"You really like to plan things through."

"I learned from the best."

**To be continued.**

* * *

**A kind-of filler with some humorous situations meant especially for you.  
**

**New chapter, sorry for the lateness, I'm having a few internet troubles and I'm not sure if I'll be able to update at the rate I hoped to.  
**

**Especially now that 'winter's break' started, my mind's hurting at the thought.  
**

**Enjoy, I have half of the third chapter written down so an update will be added one of these days.  
**

**About the other stories, I've received a good piece of inspiration from a reviewer in 'Scarlet Flame, Celestial Ice' so, maybe an update from that story will follow, who knows? And 'My Candy'? I have half of the next part written down, so, a few more twicks and whatnot, and I'll give you something to read while I work on the end.**

** Saludos!  
**


	3. The Righteous and The Wicked

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Righteous & The Wicked.**

_In Magnolia Town._

Birds chirping, people walking on the streets, kids playing and mages partying inside the building standing near the coast, things of a normal day in the almost-peaceful town of Magnolia and its only mage guild, Fairy Tail; nothing wrong with that, not at all.

If you had been in the town for at least 5 years you would have known by now that inside the guild of mages were parties and brawls almost every day, nothing surprising, just fights between them to get some steam out and strengthen their bonds. And if you like, or you're brave enough, you can join them; they don't have a problem with that… just be sure to pay your own hospital bills and for the things you break.

Intentionally or not.

But, let's get inside, shall we? Let's see what's making the mages of that guild fight today.

'Cause, as everyone knows, when their fights are the more exaggerated is when they are partying because of something that brightened their spirits… or maybe it was a random brawl.

Who cares?

"Take that!"

"Ugh! You…!"

"Hahaha! You can't beat me, Macao!" A brunette yelled proudly, standing over a broken table in between the fights going on around him without a single piece of clothing on him, the dust floating in the air because of the fights covering his intimacy… that wasn't so intimate at the moment. He looked around, punching his open palm with a smirk in searching of a new challenge before a chair came out of nowhere and hit him on the head. "Ouf!"

"Shut up, Gray!" An old man with a weird haircut and pipe in his mouth yelled annoyed, being the one to throw the chair at the teen. "And put some damn clothes on!"

"C-clothes?" He looked down, widening his eyes in shock at the statement. "What the hell! Where are my clothes? !"

"Over there…" A tall man of spiky white hair said to him, a hand pointing at the missing clothes in between some rubble while his other hand held a top-hat wearing man by the neck; the man struggling to get free from the mighty hold before a strong punch sent him flying against a wall. "Real men take hits directly, Jet!"

"Ah… It's good to see them fight like this again…" A silver-haired woman sighed contently at the scene in front of her bar, smiling whole heartedly at the two people staying with her to watch the fight, one of them smirking amusedly while the other flinched at the sounds of fists and kicks, and the occasional mage threw away flying. "Don't you think so, Lucy?"

"U-uh?" The blonde haired girl asked in surprise, drifting her attention from the fight to look at the woman standing behind the bar counter with troubled brown eyes. "Y-yeah, I guess so, Mira-san…"

"And you, Ryota?" She asked with a small smile, turning to look at the other person making her company… and making the flying chairs and tables stay away from the bar. The black haired man grinned, nodding shortly to her words before stopping a table with a lone hand to later throw it back the way it came, hitting the tall white haired man in the middle of the fighting crowd of mages.

"Hey!"

"Sure, Mira, I'm glad to see the guys again…" He said as if he hadn't hit her brother just recently while she smiled brightly at his answer, uncaring of the heating up fight; Lucy sweatdropped at their antics, turning to look at the fighters again and cringe when a random hit connected to a random face or body.

"That must hurt a lot…" She commented quietly, drawing the attention from the other two to her.

"Don't worry, Lucy, they're not hitting to hurt…" Mira said with a small smile. "They're just punching themselves slightly to celebrate Ryota's return…"

Just then, the brunette with no-clothes on him was sent flying to the roof, hitting it with a loud thud before falling hardly on the floor, the fight continuing as nothing. The blonde sweatdropped again. "A-as you say, Mira-san…"

"Come on, Lucy! Cheer up!" The black-haired man said happily, raising a mug of beer in a cheerful manner. "You wanted to join Fairy Tail, here you have it! As boisterous as it is!"

Just then, a small piece of debris hit his hand, making him lose the hold on his drink… and letting its content pour on his head; Mira gasped in shock and Lucy widened her eyes in surprise, the smile on the man's face disappearing.

"Just… who… the hell… did that? !" He asked in anger, jumping to join the fight to the blonde's shock and Mira's joy.

"Oh, I was starting to think he changed his attitude…" The white-haired beauty commented to Lucy. "Good thing it wasn't like that…"

The girl smiled uncomfortably, watching how the man kicked and punched everyone in his way while asking who made him drop his drink on his head. "S-sure, Mira-san…"

* * *

_At the town._

He stood his ground, laughing for a moment before smirking at the armored mage in front of him, taking time to see her new armor closely; an armor of a dark red color predominantly, but also sporting orange and black parts, with the first ones being shaped like flames and the second resembling dragon's limbs. It's basically made up of three different parts: the revealing breastplate with dragon like wings attached to it, the orange gauntlets and the dragon claw shaped greaves. Erza's hair was tied into a pair of high, long pigtails.

"Nice armor, it brings back some memories…" A red-dragon's image flashed in his mind, making him frown at the memory.

"Fire Empress Armor." She said with her hands strengthening the hold on her red bladed sword, ignoring his comment as she thought it was a leeway for another taunt. "Ready to fight, Luminer?"

His answer was simple.

"Hell yeah!" Punching his fists together, he created a big explosion that covered his surroundings with smoke; hiding him from view and making the woman prepare herself for anything. Eyes narrow, senses in full alert, she watched left and right for a while before noticing the smoke moving on the upper left of the cloud, the Sage coming out of there with his hands lighted in flames. "Raining Inferno!"

He swung his arms madly, throwing small balls of fire towards at great speed, with his legs landing on top of a near rooftop to later jump to another one; his arms still showering Erza with his 'Raining Inferno. As for her, she raised her sword quickly and started to spin it in front of her, her sword dispelling the flames that were aimed at her while many others impacted against the ground around her raising another cloud of smoke.

Luminer stopped his attack and jumps, coming to stand on top of the rooftop of a two-story house to watch his handiwork; his smirk coming back when he saw the scarlet-haired woman standing unscathed in the middle of a cloud of smoke, her eyes looking at him seriously. "Guess ranged-attacks won't work on you, Titania."

She remained quiet, making him quirk an eyebrow at her silence.

"You know, I'm done with throwing taunts and insults, you can talk if you want." He said to her, expecting to hear her say something in reply… but she remained quiet, much to his annoyance. "Oe, talk! You make me look bad!"

Silence. A vein popped up in his neck.

"I said, 'SAY SOMETHING', DAMMIT!" He screamed in anger, jumping head-first to attack her.

She scowled, raising her sword with both hands to receive the assault.

"Fire fist!" He swung a fist forward to meet the Titania's sword, watching happily at how she skid a few feet back at his strength before realizing with slight shock how the sword made his flames divert from the original target, he grinned at her, jumping away to her left side. "Oh? I believe I'm at a disadvantage here."

"Yes, you are." She said dryly, eyeing the guy with careful eyes, mindful of avoiding whatever he said as she couldn't let herself fall to his taunts as before; this was a serious fight now. "This armor lowers the effect of fire-based attacks by a fifty percent…"

"I see… Nice choice…" He commented with a nod, spreading his legs to the sides for the next offensive, his magic starting to build up inside him. "You know I'm a fire mage so you thought a fire-nulling armor will help you, am I right?"

"You're right, yes." She answered with her eyes still showing boredom about the whole deal, she chose that armor to end the fight quickly… she had other jobs to do before returning to the guild.

"Great to know." He praised with a small clapping of hands, nodding to her before smiling playfully. "But are you sure it can protect you from MY flames?"

"Of course." Another short reply, his smile widened even if his right eye twitched at her dry answers.

"Because my flames are not normal flames, mind you," He started to explain, giving a step forward with a hand rising to show a different kind of flames around it. "These are dragon flames, Erza Scarlet…"

And he lunged forward again, his new speed surprising the Scarlet for a moment before she snapped out of it and saw his fist aiming to hit her, she raised her sword to stop the attack again, but then, she noticed the change in his magical energy; being an experienced mage, she knew better than receiving a hit she didn't know if she could block, so she ducked and jumped away from his fist. Watching it collide against the ground to make a boulder that made the ground shake and explode in a fury of red flames.

"W-what…?" She asked in surprise, looking at the man in the middle of the flames standing up to grin at her.

"Never heard of dragons, Titania?" He asked with a small snicker, giving a step towards her, his arms now engulfed in the same flames he showed her. "They are real, you know?"

She scowled at him, thinking over his words before looking at her sword and armor, debating if they could hold their ground against this new kind of fire she was witnessing.

"Doubting about this fight, Titania?" He asked playfully, snorting at her glare and giving one more step forward, his snort coming out as a chuckle when she gave a step back. "Oh… come on! Don't fear them! They are not as strong as you think!"

And he charged forward again, Erza having just a few seconds to move her sword to block a hit to her side, its ability kicking in and making part of the flames disappear, but then her eyes watched with shock how the red-bladed sword she was wielding crack in the middle where the hit landed; Luminer's snicker turned to an insane laughter.

"They are way stronger!"

And he swung another fist at the sword, making the blade break in half to the red-head's surprise.

Not giving a second to think, he kicked her in the stomach, sending her clashing against one of the houses at the end of street with him following her close behind.

Getting up weakly, she took a moment to think about this new development before rolling to the side to avoid a fist to her head that destroyed a wall separating the rooms inside the house.

The pink-haired laughing madly in between the falling debris and rising dust.

"Don't tell me you're getting scare, Titania!" She narrowed her eyes at the words, moving to lunge at the pink-hair's side with a diagonal slash from her broken sword to his left arm; he smirked, his arm and body moving to let the woman pass right in front of him, again. She was so surprised at his change of speed that she failed to notice him swinging his elbows down, striking Erza on the back strongly with both arms on fire. "Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"

She gasped because of the pain, clenching her teeth to stand it before rolling on the ground to move away from a possible continuation and kneel a feet away from the smirking Sage, who stood still in his last spot.

She could sense his magic power rising with every strike and move; he was truth to his words in showing who of the two was stronger. "I think I underestimated you, Luminer…"

"Oh? You just noticed?" He asked mockingly, dispelling his flames to show his obvious smirk at the Titania. "I'm glad; does that mean you'll take this seriously?"

She didn't say anything, she just nodded and closed her eyes, a bright light covering her while she changed her armor to one better fitted to fight the council member. She was now wearing a black armor with silver trimmings that had silver crosses in several places. It had a revealing silver-edged breastplate and plates flanking her hips that reached down to her waist guard.

The waist guard leaving the front of Erza's body exposed, with her groin being covered by a dark cloth. She had large plates guarding her legs with two wings that have black metal "arms" acting as the wings' leading structure on her back, but the parts used to fly were composed of a membrane-like material. Erza's hair was tied in a ponytail. "Black Wing Armor."

"Another armor? Will that help you, Titania?" Luminer asked with laughing eyes, his smirk growing when he saw the red-head disappear from his sight with her magic pressure giving her away and making him sidestep a slash to his right arm. He took note on the increased speed. "Better come with something better, Scarlet…"

She remained quiet, moving quickly to land a hit on the pink-haired man while he kept on dodging, her sword almost hitting if not be because of his quick reflexes and growing speed. She narrowed her eyes, disappearing from sight again and leaving the area to the still smirking pink-hair's excitement.

"A 'hide and seek' game?" He asked loudly, the empty streets making his voice echo multiple times, stepping out of the building he looked around, sensing his surroundings as he shook his head and jump to one of the closer rooftops; looking and turning around to check the area. "I can smell you, Titania! You can't hide from me forever!"

"Who's hiding?" A voice from behind him asked; making him open his eyes wide in shock, his back burning in pain when something hit him and slashed from his left shoulder to the right side of his hip. He gave two shaky steps forward, giving a few more steps to turn around and glare at the scarlet-haired woman looking at him seriously a few feet away, her sword's edge dripping a few droplets of his blood.

"D-damn you!" He yelled in rage, jumping forward with his hands moving to surround his mouth, his cheeks and belly growing before the surprised Titania to later exhale a long line of fire towards her, that she avoided barely thanks to her armor's enhanced speed and wings. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Crescent Moon!" She screamed behind him, slashing his back again in a curved-like motion that left his back sporting an X-shaped injury and disappearing to avoid the retaliation from an angered Luminer.

He clenched his teeth in anger, grinding his teeth strongly while his head turned left and right in search of the knight.

"Stop hiding!" He screamed to the skies, his flames burning brightly and engulfing him and the building in which he was standing on, his eyes, clouded by anger, looking for his opponent as his dragon-slayer's abilities kicked in and they started to heal his wounds. "Titania!"

"Moon Glimpse!" A voiced yelled above him, looking up, his face meet the edge of her blade cutting in between his eyebrows to his right cheekbone, making him lose his right eye's sight.

He lowered his head and stepped to a side to avoid the next slash, preventing him from losing his left eye too, and letting Erza and her attack clash against the rooftop in which he was standing before she disappeared from sight again. A glare being the only thing he could discern from her face.

His right eye was seeing everything in a red blur.

He tried cleaning it but the blood just kept on pouring out from the wound.

"Damn her..." He snarled angrily, a fire-engulfed hand going to cover his right to close the wound with him wincing at the burning pain and staying in alert for another strike; he clenched his teeth visibly, the hand covering the wound on his right eye grabbing his face strongly while his left one checked his surroundings.

His senses trying to detect the next strike, to avoid an injury like the last one from someone he knew was inferior strength comparison.

"You coward!" He screamed in anger, dropping his hand to let his right-closed eye in clear view, the damaged organ and it surroundings covered in black burns as his flames sealed it with his magic to avoid the blood loss he could have suffer if he hadn't have treated it like that. He called for his flames to cover him, his steps turning him around to inspect the surroundings for a sign of the scarlet-haired sorcerer. "Show yourself before I light this whole town in flames!"

He started to build-up his magic even more, concentrating it around his body before letting it disperse, small sparks of fire flying to the surrounding buildings and, when they hit them, lighting tall pillars of fire that started to burn the place down.

Enclosing the fighting area with walls of fire, Luminer was sure that he was going to stop the Fairy Tail's mage escape and keep his surroundings in full surveillance. He was able to sense everything inside the prison of flames, from the movement of a fly to one as subtle as a mosquito's.

She had nowhere to run or hide now, and made him smirk in amusement.

He used the same ability on the Tower of Heaven to keep the prisoners from escaping his guard as some of them did 5 years ago; lowering his head, he concentrated in feeling his surroundings, the flames detecting even the movement of some creatures –animals and bugs- still lurking inside the fire prison he created.

"Scarlet!" He yelled again, controlling the flames erupting from the walls around him to start shooting random fire balls to the houses, his teeth' grinding starting to pain him… if not because a scarlet-haired woman appeared in front of him, a glare sent in his direction. He didn't stop the bombardment, instead, he grinned in satisfaction and continued with the senseless destruction; his right eye opening slightly to look at Erza for a moment before it closed and left the other one gazing alone. "There you are! I was starting to think you ran away…."

"Stop, you're destroying the peoples' houses." She pleaded him, lowering her sword for a moment.

"Uh? So what?" He tilted his head, looking around at the burning hell he created, not seeing the point in her words. "The Council can send people to rebuild this damn town."

The Titania said nothing, her face shadowed at the words, her hands curling into fists that started to shake slightly. "I can't believe you…"

He grinned, hearing her words even if they were coming in a low whisper thanks to his strengthened senses. "Can't believe what? My strength? Yeah, I know I'm awesome…"

"I can't believe you are so disgusting!" She yelled to him in anger, her glare piercing him and making him sweat in shock, his right eye opening to see her fully. "People lived there! They had memories…! They made memories in those houses and you dare to appear and burn those memories because you want to prove who's stronger!"

"Shut up, you…!" He tried to retort but her glare made him be the one shutting the mouth.

"You don't deserve the power you have, that's why, even if it costs me my life, I'll defeat you!" She said with unshakable resolve, raising her sword to point it at the shocked Luminer, who stood shakily on his two feet. "Come if you dare, my sword will give you the fight you want!"

His mind snapped out of its shocked state at hearing her last words, his face contorting in anger, his fists and teeth clenching strongly while his fire grew stronger around him. That woman dared to talk to him like if he was a spoiled kid! Like if he didn't know the meaning of a 'home' and 'memories'! What a family is like!

"_Natsu…"_ A voice he hadn't heard in a long time echoed inside his head, making his right eye open momentarily to let a tear out.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" He charged forward with his flames covering his feet, using the fire as a thruster to make his attack faster and surprise the Titania by bear hugging her before changing his direction to go high into the sky; his left eye glaring at her while she tried to break free from his strong hold, his arms surrounding her wings and preventing her from changing the course of their flight. "You believe I don't know what 'home' means, Titania! ? What's like to have happy memories? Sad memories?"

"I'll tell you what, Titania!" He yelled to her glaring expression, calling off the flames around his feet when they were as high as he could reach… to later start a free fall at full speed, surprising Erza and driving her to hurry up in breaking free from his hold. "My reason to be 'the strongest'!"

"W-what?" She asked in surprise, stopping for a moment to look at him in the eye, this one filled with seriousness and tiredness.

"I want to find my father…" Just then, she felt the grip around her loosening, allowing her to spread her armor's wings and escape his arms completely, her eyes watching the Sage still falling and not doing anything to stop it.

She thought he was trying to concentrate on making his flames cushion his fall at the last second but, looking closer, she saw him with his left eye closed and his arms and legs spread and void of any kind of motion but from those that the wind made.

He was unconscious!

"Damn it!" She cursed openly before commanding her wings to fly towards him, her mind conflicted in between letting the man crash and die from the fall or save him from the imminent death; her own wishes against the teachings of her Guild Master and father-figure. "Luminer! Wake up!"

The burning town and ground was getting closer by the second and he was still unconscious, she called for her wings to close and glued her arms and legs closer to her body, speeding her fall and reaching him when they were just halfway closer to the ground.

She hugged him and spread her wings again, the action serving to lower their speed a little but not in time to be able to fully stop their impeding collision against the ground.

She closed her eyes in resigned waiting, clenching her teeth at her luck.

And him?

His mind was showing him images… old images that he usually tried to avoid remembering… as they only pained him, brought sorrow to his heart and made him doubt the chance of ever meeting the one to teach him the magic he learned to master thanks to Jellal's trainings.

'Igneel… where are you…?' He thought tiredly before feeling something embracing him, giving a warm feeling he hadn't feel since 7 years ago… that damned day the 7 of the 7th when the one his heart loved unconditionally left him alone to face the world on his own.

He opened his left eye slowly, regaining his senses and feeling the air moving his clothes and hair around him, and stopping him from moving his arms; looking around, he saw a pair of black wings trying fruitlessly to stop his fall and a mop of scarlet hair on top of his chest.

His eye widened in shock.

'Titania!' That was why he couldn't move his arms. She was hugging and trying to stop him from crashing. He mentally punched himself, the height and the mind exhaustion for what the woman said and his raging mind made him lose consciousness and now he was being pitied by his enemy; what other reason could there be for her trying to save him after all that happened?

"Not a chance!" He yelled in rage, making Erza open her eyes in shock to look at his face in surprise, he faced his open palms towards the ground, calling his flames with every bit of magic he could gather and later release it all at once in a great line of fire that greatly decreased the speed of their fall. "I'm not letting you save me out of pity, Scarlet!"

"Pity? 'Pity' you say?" She asked with her face now turning to anger, her good action being misinterpret and insulted. "I'm not trying to save you out of pity, you fool! I'm doing it because it's what Master taught me to do!"

He narrowed his eye at her, her words bringing back more memories he didn't want to see.

* * *

"_I don't get why I must help them, they did nothing for me!" A young Natsu yelled to an irritated red dragon, the boy pouting and looking at his father in waiting for an explanation._

"_Natsu, you must do it because it's the right thing to do," He started, shaking his enormous head at the kid's attempts to avoid looking at him when he noticed that his foster-father was right… again; the red dragon grabbed him by the neck with his big claws and forced him to see him in the eyes. "Tell me, if what you say is right, why did I take you with me? You did nothing for me and you cause me constant headaches."_

_The boy remained quiet, his cheeks swelling in annoyance at the truth in the dragon's words._

"_I took you with me because you were alone, Natsu, and no one deserves to be alone; especially a kid, that's why I took you with me, not just because I wanted to teach my magic to someone but also because that was 'the right thing to do'… Understood?"_

_The kid nodded uncertainly, making the dragon heave a tired sigh before dropping the boy abruptly on the ground. "Hey! That hurt!"_

_The dragon just ignored him and rolled his eyes when the kid tried to punch him with the dragon-slayer magic he taught him, silently laughing at the boy's attempts._

* * *

His foster-father, a dragon that took him as his son and raised him to be a man of word and fairness, that could discern the good in even the most evil of beings, and forgive even the most tainted of souls… before leaving the boy with his young mind twisting his teachings until a wicked version of his younger self was the only thing that remained.

'What's wrong with this woman? She keeps on bringing me memories of _him_…' Finally feeling the ground under his palms, Luminer nodded at Erza and watched her release him from her hug, using her wings to move a few meters away.

Thinking over the memory he revived a few seconds ago, he clicked his tongue and stopped his flames and the ones burning the houses around them as a silent 'thank you' for what the woman did for him… turning his head to glare at her when he caught a glimpse of her mouth moving.

But then, he sighed, accommodating his body on the ground to be more comfortable while watching the sky, his hands acting as pillows as he spread and stretched his legs from the pain he was feeling. His back aching a bit at the contact of the slashes he got from the Titania as they were not fully healed yet; and his right eye?

He was sure the thing will be healed in a week or so, but he also knew that the scar he earned, even the ones on his back, were going to stay with him from then on. "I guess I overdid it… Sorry for what I said… and did."

To say that she was surprised was an understatement, she couldn't believe the pink-haired man finally saying something else besides angered words or taunts, and even more, she couldn't believe he really had a true reason for being the way he is. So, all she managed to answer was. "Don't worry about it."

"Why not? I spat in the face of my father and his teachings with what I did here today." He looked at the rising towers of smoke with a scowl, shaking his head in regret. "He'd have beaten me to a bloody pulp if he had seen me a few minutes ago…"

She stepped closer, her body engulfed in light before it disappeared and showed her in her normal armor, her eyes watching the same thing as Luminer's. "Think of it as me punishing you in his stead for forgetting them."

He smiled at her reasoning, getting up from the floor to dust his clothes and nodded at the woman. "Yeah, that'll help… and these scars too…"

"About them…" She mentioned with certain trouble. "I'm not going to be in troubles with the Council for causing those wounds, right?"

"Of course you'll be!" He said with faked seriousness, snickering at her surprised face before seeing her smile at the joke and shook her head in disapproval.

"And here I thought you changed, you're a lost case, Luminer." He smirked widely at that, nodding repeatedly.

"As my father raised me!" But then, he turned serious again. "Thanks for the fight, it opened my eyes to what I forgot… also, now I know that there's someone else besides the other council members that can give me a fight as I like it! And since you are not bound by their rules, I can meet you again and fight you as many times as I want!"

She raised an eyebrow at the words, thinking about them and an idea that might give her friends a few surprises when she returns to the guild. Luminer seemed a good guy… a bit childish, but a good guy in the end; he likes fighting and was in search of his father, he was like the rest of her friends in Fairy Tail… so… why not bring him to meet the others?

"I'm sorry, but I cannot fight you 'every time you want', I have jobs to do…" She said with a sad smile, watching with softened eyes how the man's face dropped a bit at the piece of news… that was the time she chose to ask him, earning a widening eye as an answer when she voiced her offer. "But… if you like fighting that much, why don't you come with me to Fairy Tail and meet the others?"

The pink-haired thought about the proposal; going to Fairy Tail and personally meet the 'group of idiots' –as the old farts in the Council call them- and their guild? It was a perfect chance to see if he could fight the other mages in that guild that were as strong as Erza and himself! Or even those that were stronger!

Hell! It was the perfect chance to personally meet the famous Makarov Dreyar!

'One of the oldest and mightiest Wizard Saints!'

He grinned widely in happiness like a kid on Christmas, making the scarlet beauty smile at the answer she was going to receive; this one being too obvious for anyone with eyes and brains.

"Let's go!"

* * *

_In the Magic Council._

Making the orb shrink back to its original size, Ultear met eyes with Siegrain and his thoughtful expression, catching the small scowl his face made.

She grinned at him. "Something wrong?"

"No, nothing." He said with his scowl deepening and his eyes moving to stare at her widening grin.

"Then… something that you didn't foresee happened and you're troubled by it, am I right or am I right?" She teased, seeing the azure-hair's eyes narrowing before he turned on his feet to leave the room. She rolled her eyes, smiling playfully at him. "Oh, I know! Someone is jealous…"

That made him stop. "Of what?"

"Oh, I don't know," She said faking ignorance. "About poor lonely Natsu meeting more people and making friends, maybe? And especially making friends with our future enemies? I don't know about you, but that'd send me to an exploding anger."

He remained quiet, lowering his head before continuing his leaving, some parting words for the smirking woman that caught him clenching his fists in anger.

"I trust that in the end, Natsu will remember where his loyalty lies."

"As you say… _Siegrain-sama…_"

**To be continued.**

* * *

**Here you have it, chapter 2, and it's longer than what I originally planned it to be! *laughs*  
**

**It was just that I imagined something and then wrote, and then my fingers couldn't stop and my mind kept flashing me the dialogs and the scenes in my head.  
**

**And this is the result of it, a long chapter filled with action and some other stuff.  
**

**Hope you enjoyed it.  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	4. A Surreal Situation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 3: A surreal situation.**

"Natsu, how did you find fighting the Titania?" Siegrain asked with a small smile to the small orb showing the injured-face of the one he considered a brother, one eye twitching when he heard his answer.

"Amazing!" The pink-haired exclaimed happily. He was in a hotel, night came and he was just going to bed, but not before letting his friend know about the happenings of the day and the incredible fight he had against the red-head. "I'm glad I left Era to look for her! And you guys were right! She can definitely take my spot in the future!"

He chuckled.

"But not today!"

The azure-haired gave a forced smile, nodding to the pink-hair's words. "I'm glad, Natsu…" But then, he turned serious, making the Sage in the orb turn serious too. "Is she a threat to our plans?"

"No, even if we had a pretty equal fight, I sensed she lost most of her power when I was just getting start…" Siegrain sighed in relief, letting his softer side show with his friend, knowing well that he would not take advantage of it.

"Perfect…" The pink-haired nodded, knowing what that meant; relaxing on his seat, the azure-haired man smiled to his friend, resting his head on the palm of his hand. "When are you coming back, Natsu? This place is boring without you here…"

"I'll be back in a week or two…" The answer in itself made the Wizard Saint look at the orb in shock, his expression making the pink-haired worry. "Hey, Jellal, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing…" He answered hastily, shaking his head before recovering his façade and show a forced smirk. "Why in two weeks? Something delaying you?"

"The Titania offered me something I can't refuse…" He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm going to meet her guild!"

Jellal nodded his eyes at the words, remembering what he saw when their fight ended. "Oh, true, I saw your fight, Ultear's doing… but, are you sure that's what you want, Natsu?"

"Yeah!" The pink-haired yelled enthusiastically, raising a flamed fist in excitement. "I can't wait for it! But, first, we need to complete the rest of her jobs… that's why I said I'll back in a week or two…"

Siegrain nodded again. "Okay, but be sure to return in two weeks' time, Natsu, and try to keep me informed of your moves, alright?" The pink-haired boy nodded. "Perfect, see you in two weeks, Natsu…"

And when he was about to stop the connection, he saw the pink-haired swinging his arms madly to make him stop. "Wait, Jellal!"

"What is it?"

The Sage tilted his head to a side, scratching his cheek embarrassedly. "Well… you know… my fight with the Titania caused a mess in that little town…" Siegrain grimaced in foretelling of what he was about to hear. "And… I was wondering if you could cover me from the old guys in the Council… Nothing big! And you don't have to do it if you don't want to!"

The azure-haired smiled, snickering quietly at his friend's childishness; he waved his hand in a carefree fashion, letting his friend know that he was guarding his back. "Don't worry, Natsu, I'll vouch for you…"

"Great! You're the best, Jellal!" The boy flashed him a smile and thumbs up, making the man shook his head in amusement. "Good luck! And try not to miss me much!"

"Yeah, as if I'll miss you…" Siegrain muttered quietly, stopping the communication to lean back on his chair in thinking.

His friend confronted his biggest worry and showed him that he had nothing to be troubled about, the woman was still too weak to stop him or his plan to revive the greatest dark mage in history; and he saw of what Natsu was capable when he was going all-out against someone he didn't have to hide his powers from.

Everything was perfect… except for the part were his friend was going to stay away with the enemy for two weeks, and after the things he saw during their battle, he couldn't help but feel slightly worried that his friend's loyalties change during his time away and later betrayed him when the moment of truth came.

He shook his head furiously, scowling at his own thoughts. 'He's not going to betray me, he knows our motivation is good in the end; he'll not betray me!'

* * *

_First job: Neutralize a gang of bandits…_

Capturing a group of bandits sounded easy enough for Luminer when the Titania informed him of their next objective, just find them, fight them and capture them; what was difficult in that?

Everything, as Luminer later noticed; the bandits didn't hide in broad daylight, they hide in the mountains. They didn't fight, they hit-and-run their enemies, since they knew that they didn't have the strength for a frontal attack. And they didn't let themselves be captured easily, no; they were determined to die before going to jail to pay for their crimes.

In resume, Luminer found the bandits to be a pain in the ass, not the kind of enemy he would like to fight when given the choice and the weakest among all the possible fighters he could imagine.

Luckily, the Titania and her experience helped him with that work. She knew how to track the bandits, she knew when they were going to attack them, and she knew how to defeat them completely without retorting to brutal force… most of the time.

Outcome? A success.

* * *

_Second job; Rescue a group of civilians from the vulcans…_

He was surprised at this one.

He read and even fought vulcans before, concluding that they were the most weakest of enemies –besides bandits- that he could choose to fight if given the question; they were mindless ape-like creatures that defended their territories or what they deemed theirs, and only fought with their fists –something that he respected… when the enemy fought like that in a wise manner- wildly and not thinking about how to defeat their enemies... thinking that by hitting them strong enough, they have won and the danger was gone.

They lived in caverns in the deepest of the forests or the highest of the mountains, thing that he didn't like.

Why?

He had to take a ride to reach those destinations… or at least be close to them; he was sick and tired of riding trains from one town to another to complete those jobs! Why did he have to ride a damn carriage to reach his objective when he was close to it already and he could just walk there?

Oh, yeah. The Titania forced him to do just that…

He could have say 'no' to her and do as he pleases, right? He's a sage, after all.

But then… she would threaten him to 'punish him' if he dared to disobey her…

He was a sage, alright, a sage scared of an armored-kick in the groin.

So he listened to her, suffering the travels with a dizzy stomach before jumping out to let his frustration out on the poor vulcans.

But then… he wasn't that mad about the woman's orders… since she knew how to stop his dizziness, surprising him completely. Since he knew that it was an impossible feat to achieve when Jellal and Ultear tried to cure him from that weakness he had.

She just punched him in the gut and laid his head on her lap, letting him rest quietly while travelling from one town to another without complaining about his snores… but she did complain about his drooling and constant moving, making her point clear when one of his hands moved and rested on top of a 'certain forbidden area'.

The nickname 'pervert' followed him for most of that day.

And it was humiliating to hear her call him like that when they were rescuing the civilians, some of them already surprised by how he acts to be even more shocked when they heard his new nickname.

Vulcans. Luckily, he had the group of creatures to let out his frustration.

* * *

_Last job; Patrol the streets while the Council sends guards to garrison on the town…_

Luminer didn't think twice when he said that the job was going to be over for the next day, knowing by experience that the Rune Knights and the Council didn't have 'tardiness' as a watchword.

Oh, he was wrong, seriously wrong.

He stayed a whole week with the scarlet knight defending the town from groups of bandits and feral animals that noticed the defenseless town and their citizens, fighting from night to day, even getting to the point of actual exhaustion when more than 24 hours passed since he started to fight.

He had to thank the woman in those moments, her experience advising her to be close to him in case he couldn't contain whatever trouble came up; deciding to appear from the shadows to help him when the situations were starting to get out of hand for the Council member.

And watching with analytical eyes how the sage fought and how much he could resist, his limits, his weaknesses when she could spare a glance at him; looking for every little thing that could help her to defeat him in case he turned out to be playing an act of 'tragic past' when their fight ended that day they met for the first time.

In the end, she ended up seeing the same as that day, aside from the fact that Luminer knew more than fire magic and fire dragon-slayer magic, he had a good variety of magic to help him fight his enemies or change his tactics when he needed it.

She was confused. If the pink-haired man knew more and stronger magic, why didn't he use it to defeat her that day?

What stopped him?

Was he truly an idiot or just full of himself?

Or was he really fond of the magic his father taught him to use it when fighting against enemies that he saw as worthy and strong?

Anyway, the Titania was surprised and glad, if that last question was a 'yes' then the sage considered her someone strong as him…

…and that eased her mind –in a way-, since she needed to be strong to stop _him_ and his insane plan.

* * *

_A week later, inside the Fairy Tail guild…_

The first day was in the guild of mages she joined was full of surprises for her, seeing how the guild interacted and how their Master treated his 'children' were things that surprised her, she never believed them to be so carefree and boisterous; since in her mind, a guild as renowned and strong as Fairy Tail, was surely going to be full with strong mages and a pride that made them act all-mighty like.

Instead, she found them to be like a big family, everyone looking after each other and not caring for the Council's rules since that –in the Master's words- stopped their development as mages.

Also, she saw how strong their bonds were, especially after Ryota learned of Macao's disappearance during a job and literally ran to where the old-man was last seen to find him, Lucy accompanying him to see by herself how an actual job was done in a mage guild.

They went to the mountains of the north, tolerating the cold weather to search for the missing member, finding instead a vulcan that kidnapped her and tried to make him his wife, if not be because of Ryota's opportune appearance and rescue; freeing her and defeating the vulcan that later turned out to be the one they were looking for.

So, returning to the guild and after a couple of days passed by, being new to the guild and not knowing how thinks work in one, Lucy decided to do a job of her choice, asking Ryota to go with her in case she needed help with the task; thing he did gladly, understanding the blonde's situation and also because he was bored out of his mind inside the guild in waiting for an S-class job that could overcome his standards.

They completed the job, reuniting an old man with his father's last work, and with her adding a new zodiac key to her inventory. And since Ryota's clothes were cut to pieces by a pair of mercenaries, he had to change his choice of clothing.

Ryota was one of the S-class mages of the guild. He has jet-black hair, with a few bangs covering his forehead and one on the left side of his face covering his left eye; the hair going in spikes from the top to the back of his head, with red eyes making him a fearsome figure when fighting him.

He used to wear a simple pair of black pants and white shirt before they were turned to pieces, and now he wears a long red trench coat with a white shirt under it, the sides and collar black, and black cargo pants with golden stripes from the knees to the feet.

He would have chosen a pair of trousers like the ones he lost but he liked the cargo pants and the comfort ability they gave him to maneuver and the many large pockets they had, thinking that they could help him to store things when doing jobs.

Ryota was going to buy a pair of black sandals to add to the whole attire, but, since Lucy went with him to buy the new clothes –and she had a better taste than him in the area- he ended up buying a pair of simple black shoes.

But, returning to the main topic, now… well, the scenery inside the guild was the same; except for a blonde mage standing close to a board in thinking, she was looking at the guild's job board for some job that could help her pay her apartment's rent before it was the end of the month and it was due. Brown round eyes staring at the piece of woods and its papers in trouble, she couldn't find one to do by herself.

"Hrmmm… Find a magic bracelet; dispel the staff's curse; predict someone's love future with astrology?; exterminate the Vulcan demons attacking a town?" She joined her hands behind her, looking at the requests over and over again with a tall tanned man with a white headband standing next to her and looking at the same requests… as she saw him do since the day she joined. "Hrmmm… There are many kinds of jobs…"

"If you find something that interests you, let me know." The white-haired barmaid called Mirajane said with a bright smile from her position behind the counter. "Since Master is not here at the moment."

"Huh? Ah, yes, it's true." The blonde noticed then that the small figure of the guild master wasn't at his usual position on top of the bar, the barmaid not losing a second to explain why.

"He had to attend the regular meeting, so, he'll be out for a while."

"Regular meeting?" The blonde asked, receiving a full explanation from Mirajane and Ryota, who was near to hear the conversation. Gray and Loki joining their conversation before Ryota retorted to something the ice-mage explained wrong. The ice-mage went on and on about how he was right, leaving his shades-wearing partner alone to try and flirt with the new girl… getting strangely scared when he noticed the keys hanging from her belt and realized she was a celestial spirit sorcerer, running out of the guild with a quick and lame excuse to the blonde.

He ran 5 blocks away from the guild before stopping to catch his breath and regain his composure, shaking his head in embarrassment for his outburst before he noticed something wrong in that street; the people was quiet, terribly quiet, and that was weird… unless… 'O-oh no! Don't tell me _she_'s…!'

Looking forward towards the entrance of the town, he paled in fear, noticing the figure of the one that beat him to a bloody pulp when he tried to flirt with her, but his face changed to one of confusion when he realized that she wasn't alone. Someone was walking next to her… and his uniform… his eyes widened again. 'For the King Spirit's moustache! I need to warn the others!'

Running inside the guild to witness a smirking Ryota avoiding Gray's punches and kicks, and Mirajane and Lucy still talking about the workings of the magic world, he stopped and addressed everyone in the room; especially the fighting brunettes with an expression that confused everyone.

"Ryota! Gray! Everyone!" He yelled while panting in exhaustion, his fearful expression making everyone stop and listen to him. "Erza's back!"

For the first time since she joined, all Lucy could hear inside the guild was silence, everyone was gaping with widened eyes and terrified expressions on them; even Ryota and Gray.

Step, step, step. A pair of footsteps resounded inside the quiet hall, making everyone turn to look at the door to see the scarlet-haired knight come back from another job successfully, a single hand carrying an enormous horn that was decorated with jewels.

"I-I think I should leave now…" Loki whispered quietly, stealthy making his way towards the door and reaching it before remembering something that caused him to stop. 'W-wait! Wasn't she coming with someone next to her?'

"I'm back." She said dryly, her hand dropping the horn she was carrying with a loud and ground shaking thud. "Is Master here?"

"Welcome back, Erza!" Mirajane, who was the only one unaffected by Erza's scary atmosphere, greeted with a shook of her head answering the knight's question. "Master is at the regular meeting."

"I see…"

"E-erza-san… What's that… enormous… thing?" A random member asked, voicing everyone's mind question to the knight.

"Hmm? This?" She said with a small smile, pointing at the object she brought with her. "The citizens from the city I went to decorated the horn of a demon I slain… and since it looked pretty, I brought it with me. It's a bother to you?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"The horn of a demon she slain…"

"W-wow…"

"Anyway, guys…" She said giving a few steps forward, letting everyone know that she heard about the troubles they caused in her absence and quickly catching up with them, criticizing each and every one of the mages inside the guild before letting out a sigh with a content smile, deciding that she scolded them enough for that day. "Though… is Gray here?"

The ice-mage sweated uncontrollably at the mention of his name, shaking in fear from imagining the Titania hearing about his little stunt in the last job he did, running naked through a city and stealing a pair of boxers that weren't even dry to cover his nudity. But after a second passed, the knight noticed the other man standing next to Gray, a smile forming on her face. "And Ryota returned? Good."

Lucy, being a good observant, noticed that, even if Gray's fear was obvious, the man that brought her to the guild was shaking slightly under the woman's stern gaze; leaning towards the smiling white-haired barmaid, she asked the reasons for that. "What's wrong with those two?"

"Oh? Ah! Well, Erza once saw Gray walking around the town without clothes and she pummeled him to the ground…"

The celestial spirit sorcerer sweatdropped at the ice mage's luck, thinking with a small shook of her head that he deserved the punishment for walking around the place in his birthday suit; she couldn't understand that weird habit he had... and she didn't want to ask him. "And Ryota?"

Mirajane chuckled at the memory. "He said that the sweets she was eating were making her fat… and she beat him to a pulp."

"EH? Really?" She asked in surprise and fear, remembering the man's strength and imagining how much stronger could be Erza to be able to beat him senseless.

"Oh!" The silver-haired exclaimed with a small smirk, remembering the man that was next to the door of the guild ready to take his leave. "And Loki tried to flirt with her once… he stayed in the hospital for a month."

The blonde sweatdropped, watching with un-amused eyes at the charming smiling boy next to the door, shaking her head at his attitude and how he didn't change it after receiving such a beating; but then, her mind went back to the scarlet-haired woman standing in the middle of the room, she was talking again.

"I'm glad you're both here," She continued after leaving a long pause, smiling with closed eyes and relaxing the guys a bit. "Because I have something to ask you."

Ryota and Gray froze at the words, looking at the woman with clear fear and trouble, knowing by experience that she didn't asks for something without a good reason.

"I've heard something problematic while I was working… normally, I would talk about it with Master… but since this is urgent…" She looked at both men with serious eyes, her expression saying she wasn't joking about her request. "I need your help. You'll come with me, right?"

Several widened their eyes in shock at the words, the brunettes gaping and sweating profusely at what she was asking from them.

"Eh!" Gray.

"Huh!" Ryota.

"But before explaining further," She continued, disregarding her guildmates' reactions, turning half way to face the door with a small frown. "Come inside, Luminer."

The level of shock reached unimaginable peaks at the mention of that name, everyone turning their heads at breakneck speed to look at the door and the tall figure entering the guild with short but confident steps. A scaly scarf… pink hair… that black Council's uniform… it was the same person they imagined she called and they heard about in the Weekly Sorcerer.

"Yo, Fairy Tail!" Luminer greeted with a wave of his hand, faking a polite smile at the expressions he received, inwardly proud of the reactions he caused to the mages inside the guild considered to be the strongest. "How're you doing?"

"L-luminer…!"

"The Council member…!"

"What's a Council member doing here!" The pink-haired, hearing all the whispering the mages did, thought about something to entertain himself a little; his smile changing to a small smirk.

"What am I doing here, you ask?" He started to laugh madly, smirking at the shocked and scared faces of the Titania's guildmates, and making the woman sigh tiredly at his antics. "I've come to arrest you all!"

"Like hell!" Gray yelled annoyed, not liking the man's laughter and smug smirk, he prepared himself to attack him and let him know that no-one will arrest his friends when a loud thud echoed inside the room and he stared in shock… as the rest of the guild, how Erza punched the guy in the head and sent him head-first crashing against one of the walls. "E-erza…!"

"Stop playing around, Luminer, they think you're serious." She said with a disapproving shook of her head, watching with bored eyes at the pink-haired struggling to get out of the boulder he made on impact; the guy scowling at the woman after he got out of the wall and walked to stand in front of her.

"Tch, you never let me have any fun, Titania." He muttered with his scowl deepening and his left eye twitching in annoyance. "And stop treating me like a child!"

"You're a child, Luminer." He felt a vein popping up on his neck.

"What! You dare to insult me in such a manner!" She narrowed her eyes at the question, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Do I have to remind you about how you insulted ME when we first meet?" He flinched at her tone, remembering the things he said to her when he was trying to anger her.

"U-ugh…! Low blow, Titania, you know I was just trying to get you serious about the fight!" He explained for the umpteenth time since the incident passed, his words earning a roll of eyes from her.

"Really now? Then why do you still act like you did that day?" He clenched his teeth in an annoyed smirk, his left eye twitching.

"I was joking! Dammit! I'm not like that anymore!" He reminded her, again, making her look up in thinking.

"You're right, it's nothing compared to that indecent attitude you had." She sighed with another shook of her head. "But then again, you still act like a child."

"Stop saying I'm a child, dammit!" He yelled exasperated, the woman getting to his nerves.

And while their fight continued and continued without any of the sides giving up, the rest of the guild stared in shock at the situation and the actions of their strict knight; several of them passing out from the shock and some even considering the surreal situation to be the worst of nightmares, since Erza Scarlet would never hit a Council member or bicker with him like they were seeing at the moment.

Erza.

Hitting and insulting Council member.

Has the world gone insane!

**To be continued.**


	5. An Emergency Exit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 4: An emergency exit.**

Natsu took a moment to think about the past week, about the events that made him changed his arrogant attitude and remember the way he used to be when younger; when Igneel's teachings were still present in his mind and he guided himself with them.

And how that twisted after he left and he met Jellal at the Tower of Heaven.

The boy showed himself as his friend, lending him a hand, helping him with his training and even teaching him new things to be better for when his foster-father returned from wherever he was. And a reason to keep getting better, to get stronger, and that was the construction of the Tower.

"_If we finish the Tower, your father will return, I'm sure."_

'Father will return…' He thought idly, clenching his fists. 'He WILL return…'

"_But you need to be stronger, learn more magic and defend this tower… If this tower falls, all hope of ever meeting your father will be gone."_

'I have to ensure that the Tower is finished…' He couldn't let anyone get in the way of his dream and Jellal's, they wanted a perfect world, where no harm could be done to them and the ones they cared were to be with them once again. He looked at the sky, watching a pair of birds flying high in the sky and out of his sight, his eyes narrowing for a second before turning to look inside the room. He was sitting on the window's frame of the Titania's apartment, waiting for her to get her things ready for the urgent mission she had to do with two of the strongest mages of her guild.

Watching her run from here and there with her luggage and getting all of that in her cart, filling the thing with loads of suitcases stuffed with who-know-what to later hold everything together with a few strings attached to the sides.

'What's with that woman?' He thought tiredly, remembering how it was her fault, her words, that he changed his attitude to something that resembled his younger self. He debated about it a long time ever since they met, thinking about the possible reasons, remembering every word she said to him with an inquisitive mind.

Her fierce glare when he was fighting without a care for the possessions of the citizens of that town.

Her deathly strikes aimed to kill him and make him stop.

And her words when he started to actually burn the town to the ground.

"_I can't believe you're so disgusting! People lived there! They had memories…! They made memories in those houses and you dare to appear and burn those memories because you want to prove who's stronger! You don't deserve the power you have, that's why, even if it costs me my life, I'll defeat you!"_

And his consequential snap, his words to her, his memories returning with a strength he never believed possible.

And the voice of the one who taught him the magic he uses, inside his head.

"_Natsu…"_

'Just what the hell is up with that woman?' He repeated inwardly with clenched fists, not liking the thought of someone controlling his emotions and making him have doubts about his actions; he didn't need that, he was fine before she came. 'I'll kill her when I have the chance!'

"Luminer," The red-head called from next to her bedroom's door, glancing at the man questioningly. "I'm ready, let's go."

'Oh god, who am I kidding?' He thought with a broad smirk to the woman, feeling happy at seen her ready, jumping down from the window's frame to nod at her. "Sure."

"Don't you need to contact the Council?" She asked him, stopping him from running out of the room with an open palm on his chest. He quirked an eyebrow at that, shaking his head amusedly.

"I contacted them when we heard about the danger…" She narrowed her eyes in thinking, remembering that afternoon in Onibus, when they heard about the troubles looming over the Guild Masters's meeting and she discovered something she didn't expect about Luminer.

* * *

_Flashback…_

"_Are you sure this a good place to eat, Titania?" He asked uncomfortably, hiding his face and symbol of the council from view with a hood he had under his coat and by closing his jacket, looking at the scarlet-haired woman sitting in front of him before looking at his sides in nervousness. "This place is packed with dark wizards… it's a wonder that they didn't attack us yet…"_

"_Shut up," She said while taking a bite of her strawberry cake and delighting her mouth with its taste, smiling reassuringly to the man sitting with her. "If they didn't attack us yet, then we have nothing to worry about, and eat your food, it's getting cold."_

"_Yeah yeah, I'm on it." He answered with his hands filling his mouth with meat, eating without a care in the world as he was far from the Council and their etiquette; but then, a white jacket caught his sight, a symbol on it making him follow it until it meet a group of mages sitting on a table close by, all of them talking loudly and drinking._

"_Shit! Where's my drink?" One of them asked annoyed, Erza turning to look at the man he was seen with an annoyed expression, her meal interrupted. "Why're you so slow?"_

"_I-I'm sorry…!" The poor girl carrying the drinks said, moving hastily towards the man with the drink he asked for._

"_Beard, don't get so high up over nothing…" One of the men sharing the table with him said, leaving aside his cigarette to look at the man; another one grunting in side of the last one, not liking the attention they were receiving from the people in the place._

"_How do you want me to stay calm? Huh?" He said to him, using his magic to bring the beverage in the waitress hand to fill his empty mug, drinking some of it while he turned to look at the others in anger. "We found Lullaby's hideout but it was sealed! How did they do it? We cannot break the seal protecting it!"_

"_Idiot! You're too noisy…" The man who asked him to pipe down said, glaring deathly at him with his cigarette on his mouth._

"_Yes," The one that grunted said with his expression emotionless. "Scandalous…"_

"_Shit!" The angered man yelled, his mouth shutting to drink the new beer he had, a vein vexed on his cheek at their predicament._

"_We might not be able to break the seal," The man Natsu saw said smiling to the people on the table, calling their attention. "But if we have more people… Anyway, I'll take care of that."_

"_I don't like that guy's scent…" Luminer whispered to the woman accompanying him, Erza nodding to him before hearing the rest of the conversation; the guy's fake careless façade disturbing her._

"_Please, let Erigor-san know that." The men at the table shouted praises and questions at him, the Titania widening her eyes in shock at hearing that name, getting up to leave with Luminer closely following without the men at that table noticing._

"_We need to return to the guild quickly." The knight said once they were outside, frowning at remembering what she heard. "We must stop those guys' plan."_

"_You think?" The pink-haired asked making her stop on her tracks to look at him. "What?"_

"_Don't you know who Erigor is?" She asked with a scowl, the pink-haired frowning at her._

"_Of course I know! It's a guy that always picked assassination missions! But why should we care about their plan? They said they couldn't break the seal, so why bother?" Erza hit him in the head for that. "Ow! Hey!"_

"_Idiot! Don't you see?" She yelled frustrated, not understanding the Sage's slow mind. "They're dark mages and they're plotting to make chaos! We have to do something!"_

"_Okay okay! I get it!" He answered in pain, rubbing the top of his head with clenched teeth. "Let's go to your guild and end with this already!"_

_She seemed to get calm at that, moving to walk towards their lodgings when she noticed that he wasn't following. Instead, he was looking at a communication orb with serious eyes, waiting for someone to appear on the other side. She hid behind some piled boxes, her ears focused in hearing what the man was about to say._

"_Jellal?" The scarlet-haired felt her soul coming out of her at hearing that name, her eyes wide in shock trying to watch the talk between Luminer and the one she feared the most. "How're you doing?"_

"_Fine, Natsu…" 'Natsu?' The Titania repeated inwardly with a raised eyebrow, watching the pink-hair's face with some surprise; he was smiling contently. "Where are you? Did you finish your business with the Titania?"_

"_No, not yet, I'm calling you because of something else…"_

"_And what could that be? Did you make a mess in another town?"_

"_Haha, real funny, Jellal; no, I didn't, we heard an interesting conversation between some Eisenwald's mages… They are up to something with a thing called 'Lullaby'…"_

"_Huh… Let them be, Natsu, I gave them that thing to see the guilds' awareness… If they succeed, the legal guilds will not be much of a threat, but if they fail… well, let's say you'll have to get stronger."_

"_Even more? Ha! You know I'm ready to face everything and anything, Jellal…"_

"_Oh, I don't know, after your fight with the Titania I've been having some doubts about your power…"_

"_Shut up! I'll defeat her! Know that! I won't let myself get behind because of some weak mage!"_

"_That's what I wanted to hear! Hahaha! Do what you want, Natsu, but don't intervene unless you believe you have to… those weaklings from Eisenwald are of no use to us but I have a reason to use them… If you must attack them to prove your loyalty and check their strength, so be it, but only if you must."_

"_Tch, killjoy… I'll contact you after everything's done!"_

"_Good, I'll be waiting." And the communication ended, the pink-haired turning around to walk towards the hotel in which he and the scarlet knight were staying, a stern face in him when he walked past where Erza was hiding; the woman looking at him with narrowed eyes._

'_I didn't think you were with him… Natsu…'_

_End of the flashback…_

* * *

The walk to the train station was quiet, Erza marched with firm steps to their destination while the pink-haired man behind her carried her luggage without any effort; still, that didn't mean he wasn't going to complain about it. "Hey! Why am I carrying your stuff? I'm not your servant!"

"You said you were at my service, Dragneel, come on!" She urged with a hand commanding him to move forward, her answer making him remember the stupid introduction he gave to her when he showed himself to her in that town. "We're going to be late!"

"Don't remind me…" He said looking down, thinking about how to avoid talking with the other mages going with them, his mind also aware that they were about to see him at his weakest on that train. Losing the rest of the respect they would have ever shown to him after the little stunt he made at the guild and the Titania's intervention depicting him as a normal guy with a high position.

He was going to make sure that it was of their best interests to keep him in his good side, otherwise…

"We arrived." Erza said finally, stopping on her feet and watching the group of mages that were coming with her, Natsu looking up to see the guys acting as they were that same morning. The two guys were fighting and one was showing clear superiority over the other while a blonde girl tried to stop them fruitlessly, the pink-haired watched amusedly how the blonde noticed their presence and let the other two know, both guys stopping their fight to stand a few feet from each other with troubled faces gazing at the woman that arrived. "You weren't fighting, right?"

"O-of course not, Erza!" The brunette with white clothes answered nervously, waving his hands in denial, fearing for his life.

"N-no, Erza, we were sparring to see how strong our friendship is…" The other added hastily, receiving a nod from the other guy and a sweatdrop from the blonde girl behind them, the girl being called by the knight to be asked some questions; mostly her introduction, since she was new in the guild.

And as they waited, he took time to inspect his new 'companions', trying to sense their magic powers to know their magic beforehand, quickly desisting from that when he saw the white dressed brunette looking at him with cautious eyes. 'Don't tell me I'm going to be watch like that during the whole thing or I'm leaving to Era right now…' He thought annoyed, not liking the man's stare and deciding to question him why. "Hey, I have something on my face or what?"

"Nah, just wondering why you dyed your hair that color, freak…" That made an eye twitch, his eyes looking at the man with a hard stare while he tried to keep composed.

"It's natural, droopy eyes, unlike that wig on your head." The man flinched at the words, his eye twitching too and his legs moving him to stand face to face with the council member.

"Huh? And what says you're not the one using a wig?"

"Easy, I don't need one because I'm not bald like you…" Gray clenched his fists in annoyance, his body shaking even more before the now surprised face of the pink-haired. "And put some clothes on, stripper."

"W-what?" The ice-mage asked looking down, seeing with his own eyes that he was naked… yet again. "What the hell?"

"Oi, Titania, if this is the kind of help we needed, I know a guy in the army that does the same…" Luminer said nonchalantly, calling the woman's attention and making her turn to look at the brunette in question to later narrow her eyes in annoyance; seeing her march to pummel some sense into the stripper, he decided that even if it was fun to watch someone else get beaten by the woman, he had to introduce himself to the rest of the group. Choosing the big guy with the red trench coat first, he stood in front of him and stretched out a hand to salute him. "My name's Luminer Dragneel, your name is…?"

"Ryota." He answered shortly to him, accepting his hand and nodding in acknowledgement to the council member before narrowing his eyes in thinking. 'He has a strange aura around him… like if he isn't who he says he is…' He shrugged it off, preferring to entertain himself with the beating his friend was receiving at the moment, smirking ever so slightly when the poor guy tried to call for his help; he shook his head with a small smirk, his amusement reaching to the point where he was hardly containing his laughter.

"S-she's scary…" The blonde whispered to herself from the back of the group, flinching at the loud hits Gray was receiving, not noticing someone talking to her until this person stood in front of her; surprising her and making her jump back a meter. "A-ah!"

"I said, 'My name is Luminer Dragneel, what's yours?'" He repeated to her with an amused smirk, watching the girl blush in embarrassment for not noticing his presence close to her. She took time to catch her breath and suppress the blush that she knew was on her face before addressing the man that was in the Weekly Sorcerer's Top Ten of Male Mages You Want as a Boyfriend… the pink-haired standing on the fifth position, just under Siegrain Fernandez, and three guys from Blue Pegasus that she couldn't remember. "And yes, she's scary, but I'll not tell her you said that…" He added in a soft whisper with a wink and small smile, making the girl stammer to give her reply.

"W-w-h-h-a-a-t-t?" Her blush returned ten times stronger, her hands moving to cover her embarrassment while waving the guy to leave her alone for a moment; he would have none of that, he was bored after all. He walked closer and forced her to look at him with a hand under her chin, looking at her with his onyx eyes fixed on her brown ones. "U-uh?"

"I heard your name is Lucy, nice to meet you," He whispered slowly, slightly closing his eyes. "It'll be a _pleasure_ to work with you…"

And he released her, turning to walk away and watch the last of the pummeling the Titania was giving to the stripper while the blonde tried to not pass out from what happened, her mind elsewhere entirely and not understanding the pink-hair's teasing, if what he heard her mutter was something to go by. "T-the troubles of being pretty…"

'As if…' He thought sarcastically to himself, he had to admit that the girl was pretty, but it wasn't his type… neither was any other woman in the world, he just had a mind for something, and that something was his objective. 'Jellal's going to be mad with me if I happen to get _too cozy_ with these _fairies_…'

"Hey." A voice shook him out of his thinking, looking up, he saw the man called Ryota frowning at him. "Don't try anything funny with Lucy."

"I was kidding with her, big guy, don't worry." He answered with a tired sigh. What's up with that guild that they couldn't take a joke without fuzzing about it? 'It might be because of me being a council member; tch, Ultear's great idea is just causing us troubles whenever we go…'

"Let's go already, we lost valuable time." He heard the Titania ordering them while heading to the train with her cart of luggage, leaving a passed out Gray behind her; Luminer felt the need to ask about him and he received a cold glare that he shrugged off. "Do you want to join him?"

"No, of course not, I was wondering if you're expecting _your servants_ to clean the mess you made."

Bad mistake.

Kick to the groin.

Thud.

'She should control her temper,' Ryota thought sweatdropping, carrying over his shoulders the pained body of the sage and the unconscious one of his friend, mischievous eyes looking at the red-head sitting roughly on her seat to look outside immediately with crossed arms. He smirked. 'Though, it's funny to see her so work up over nothing… -sigh- you'll never change, Erza…'

He dropped the ice-mage next to Lucy, earning a yelp from her and a pained grunt from the brunette before accommodating Luminer to do the same, his actions being stop by a stern voice. "Sit him next to me."

"What?" Both he and Lucy asked, looking at the scarlet-haired woman in confusion; they thought she didn't like the man. Seeing them staring at her and not doing what she asked, she glared at him and repeated her order, the tall man obliging to her demand and dropping the council member unceremoniously on the free seat next to her.

"He suffers from motion sickness." She explained to their surprised faces when she moved him so his head was on her lap and the rest of the body well positioned on the seat, that explained why the guy looked ready to throw out everything when they got on the train, but it didn't explain why she let him lay his head on her lap.

Not that they were going to ask her, anyway.

Ryota sat next to Gray, shrugging the deal off and leaning back to be more comfortable, looking at his S-class companion with expecting eyes, Erza quickly noticing what the stare meant and starting to explain why they were heading to Onibus.

"I see." The man said after a the explanation was over, the information received sinking in. "So, we're heading there to kick their buts into oblivion and stop them, right?"

"Right." Scarlet replied with a short nod, watching Gray recover his consciousness and take a look at his surroundings while complaining about the pummeling he received… until he laid his eyes on the sight in front of him.

"E-erza, why's that guy sleeping on your lap?" He yelled in confusion, not noticing the two people at his sides moving a bit farther away from him, silently thanking the man for his stupidity as it will give them more answers.

"He has motion sickness. Do you have a problem with that?" She asked with a low voice, scowling at him.

"Of course! Didn't you hate the guy?"

"I never said that."

"B-but you hit him constantly and argue with him all the time!" The blonde and the other brunette moved as far as they could, feeling terrified of the aura coming out the Titania. She had her eyes shadowed from view.

"I do the same with you." She said simply with a long sigh, trying to regain her composure, surprising the two frightened mages at her front sides.

'Since when does she calms down and stops herself from pummeling Gray?' Ryota thought in shock, wondering her motives until he remembered the man sleeping on her lap. 'Oh? Is it because you don't want to startle him?"

'W-wow! Erza can actually stop herself from beating everyone to a pulp…!' Lucy thought with some relief, believing the woman to be the kind that was short-tempered.

"B-but…!" Gray tried to continue, only to feel a large hand on his shoulder and a hushed voice near his ear.

"Gray, shut up, enough with your annoying questions…" The black-haired whispered to him in a pleading manner, nodding to him to stay quiet now that she was calm and taking the chance to make his own questions about the council member joining them for the mission; straightening his posture, he pointed at the sleeping pink-haired. "About him, why's he with us?"

"He'll stay with us for the rest of this week, my idea." They stared in shock at her, remaining quiet and nodding for her to explain further. "We fought in that little town having troubles with wolves, he went there searching for me to prove who of the two was stronger, and after a long fight that destroyed half the town, we called it a draw and I offered him to come with me for two weeks."

"T-two weeks?" Lucy asked in confusion, making the count in her head and coming to the same conclusion as her male friends. "But you first said that he was staying with us for a week… then you've been with him for a week already?"

"Yes." She answered with a nod, not understanding Gray's shock, Lucy's blushed face and Ryota's sly grin. She scowled at them, not liking their silence. "What?"

"You have been with him, alone, for one week." Ryota repeated, making emphasis on the word 'alone', his smirk growing when she tilted her head in confusion. He decided to throw a bigger bone for her. "No wonder you two bicker like an old married couple, you had time to catch up."

That seemed to have caught her attention and what they were meaning, if her blush and shocked face was anything. "W-what? I-it's nothing like that!"

"He tried to flirt with Lucy at the station, you know?" He added more wood to the fire with an amused smirk, making the blonde squeak in surprise and turned her head at breakneck speed to check if the fearsome woman was glaring at her. Instead of that, the red-head suddenly calmed herself and look down with a deepened scowl at the man sleeping on her lap, Ryota preparing himself to see the man get beaten to a pulp by the fearsome Titania. 'Oh-ho! This'll be good!'

_A small playboy smile and a wink of eye._

_"Oh! You want me to 'take you' back?"_

Her eyes shadowed.

_Playful voice and crossed arms in thinking._

_"You know, I would remember if I ever 'take' a woman like you to my chambers."_

Her anger is rising and her body shaking.

_Lecherous smile and suggestive words._

_"I bet you're wild in bed…"_

Thick on her forehead; he was dead.

"Y-you…!" She growled with her hands grabbing his neck and hair strongly, grabbing fistfuls of his pink locks before pulling at them, watching the man groan in pain at the action. She felt her anger rising up, memories of how he teased her when they met coming back to her. "You haven't change at all!"

And to the surprise of everyone close-by and her partners, she threw him out the window, breaking the glass and part of the train car's wall leaving her friends with their mouths hitting the floor and their eyes wide as saucers.

"O-oh god, Erza!" Gray yelled in panic, getting up hastily with the rest of the team to see out of the hole on the window, trying to see if the sage was alright. "You threw a council member out of a moving train!"

"Serves him right for being a pervert." She growled angrily with a blush, his lecherous smile and words reappearing inside her head, besides the incident during their second job when he was sleeping on her lap and moving around.

"E-erza, I don't think you get it," Ryota continued with a terrified expression, his head turning slowly to look at her. "You threw a SAGE, a member of the COUNCIL, out the WINDOW… and he could be dead… that won't help the guild at all!"

She refused to acknowledge what was wrong in that, until he pressed the button he knew that would make her snap out of her angered-mind state.

"Master will have a heart-attack if he learns of this!"

And then she looked up in surprised, looking down for a moment, before looking at the window… narrowing her eyes and making the boys sweat at her silence.

"E-erza?" Lucy asked with some caution, not knowing what could happen.

Until it happened.

"Luminer!" She yelled in panic while jumping out of the train from the same hole she made with the sage, shocking her friends and making Ryota shook his head in frustration, walking closely to the hole and to look at both sides before staring at the fast moving ground beneath him.

"That girl will be the death of me one day." And he jumped out as well, making the blonde lose any form of speech at the action, her eyes not noticing the ice-mage moving to do the same.

"You coming, Lucy?" He asked casually with a smug smile, making the celestial mage shook her head furiously. "Too bad, see you at the station."

In the end, only one remained.

"Excuse me, miss?" A soft voice behind her said, freaking her out and making her turn around to see a smiling man with his hair tied back into a short high-ponytail, dressed with a white coat held together in the chest by two buttons and a string, it had square shaped lines on the edges and a pair of pants that had metal buttons at the sides. He had this really suspicious 'good-guy' face that sent a chill down her spine. "Is this seat taken?"

"N-no…?" She answered doubtfully, coming to seat on the seat opposite to the guy's.

"Thanks!" He took the seat and relaxed on it, stretching his arms and legs before moving his head to stare at the hole in the train car, sweat falling down his brow when he imagined what caused it. "Your friends are lively, for what I see."

"U-um." She limited herself to nod at his words, not trusting the guy and his strange character, leaned against the seat's back the most she could and resting her hands on her knees, she unconsciously let him see her guild mark.

"Oh? Fairy Tail?" He asked with surprise, his smile not faltering when the blonde girl flinched at his question. "A legal guild, huh?"

"Y-yes… What about it?" Lucy asked uncomfortably, her dislike evident to the man.

"Nothing… it's just that I envy you." He said with his smile widening and a small blush creeping on his cheeks, leaning forward with his hands joined in a fist, and his arms resting on his knees. His creepy aura startling and making the girl want to jump out the window and join her friends.

'G-guys… hurry up, please!'

In the end, only one remained… or so was it.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**New chapter. Some things added to make the story interesting and more complicated, if you are wondering about something I did or wrote, I'll be glad to explain through PM or through an AN at the end of the next chapter.  
**

**But one thing is sure, please, read and review! Knowing what you think of this story makes me keep on writing it for your pleasure!  
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**A review takes 2 minutes max, don't be lazy and drop one. *smiles*  
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**By each review I receive, I'll add 1k more of words in the next chapter; fair deal?  
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**Saludos.  
**


	6. A Resemblance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 5: A resemblance.**

_Dream…_

"_Natsu!" The red dragon yelled annoyed to the running brat, the boy not listening to his calls, preferring to just fool around the big clearance in the forest in which they were. "You damn brat! Come here now before I make you!"_

"_You can't stop me!" Natsu said with a wide smirk, running here and there and climbing up the trees, unaware of the mad dragon's mouth letting out some small bursts of fire._

"_NATSU!" He roared to the boy, making him lose his grip on the tree's trunk to start falling to the ground, a big claw hitting him strongly on the side to send him skidding on the ground for several feet. The boy barely staying in consciousness while his eyes rolled in dizziness, the dragon sighed and moved close to him, picking the boy up with his big claws grabbing his little legs. "When will you learn to do as told, Natsu?"_

"_U-uh…" The boy answered with his senses barely holding to reality. "I-I'm sorry…"_

"_Being 'sorry' doesn't help, Natsu," The dragon said in a wise tone, shaking his head at the boy's slow learning. "Just don't repeat your mistakes and if you can, try to avoid them."_

"_O-okay…" And the boy finally passed out._

_Years later..._

"_Natsu?" A voice asked from outside his room, disturbing his thinking and making him rise from his bed to look at the azure-haired man step inside his bedroom without him allowing him. "Sorry for intruding, but you have me worried, you've not been yourself lately."_

"_Huh." The pink-haired grunted with a frown, lying on his bed again to stare at the ceiling, hearing the footsteps of the intruder getting close to him._

"_Is it because of those prisoners?" Jellal asked straight to the point, watching the boy's frown turn to a softened face. "I thought we left that matter clear, Natsu, you're not at fault for what happened."_

"_Actually, I was thinking about the things they said when I was trying to stop them." Jellal quirked an eyebrow at the words he heard, a nod telling the boy to continue. "They said the tower is not going to work, that our job is futile, that there's no way we can revive Zeref with it."_

_Jellal sighed in relief; feeling less troubled than before, the boy just had some doubts about their objectives, nothing more. He just needed to remind him about why it was important for them and why it wasn't for those prisoners that escaped. "Natsu, remember when you arrived here? What I explained to you when you woke up?"_

"_Yes, I do, but it's just… Jellal, can we really create a better world by bringing him back?" He rose from his bed again, using his arms to support him while he stared at the man in waiting for an answer._

"_Of course, but we won't be able if you doubt our purpose, those prisoners said that because they don't understand the power that magic gives; mere humans with small minds that are frightened of change." He repeated for the boy, a strong gaze shoot to him. "We're mages, Natsu, we understand magic, we know its power and the things it can accomplish when someone strong-willed command it; we cannot doubt, we cannot surrender, this is our true goal and it's worth it. A free world for everyone, where death doesn't bothers us and we can be together with those we love for all the eternity."_

_The boy nodded, looking down in thinking when listening again to the same speech, his mind wandering about what good it will bring to them the construction of the tower and what bad was going to bring to those that didn't believe in its capabilities. "But what about the normal people without magic? What'll happen to them?"_

"_I don't know that, Natsu, Zeref will know what to do when he's revived." A sad smile and downcast eyes making the pink-haired nod in understanding, his legs moving from on top of the bed to stand up and smile brightly at his friend, the feeling reaching to the other man and making him answer in the same way. "Ready to go?"_

"_Yeah!" Natsu yelled rising a fist to the roof, his eyes burning with the same resolved Jellal saw when they were kids and he lectured the boy about their objective. "I can't wait for Igneel to be back, so, let's hurry up and finish this tower now!"_

"_Calm down, we cannot build this from one day to the other." He said with a small chuckle, waving his hands down to make the boy relax. "Let's do our best, there's no need to build a tower we won't be able to use because of exhaustion."_

"_Tch, boring…" The pink-haired said with a roll of eyes, laughing together with the man in front of him before both exited the room and went to their usual occupations._

"_Natsu…" _Igneel's voice echoed inside his head again, making him grunt at hearing it. _"Natsu…"_

'Shut up…' He muttered tiredly, his body accommodating on the ground to lean on one side. 'I'm tired…'

"_Natsu…"_ This time, it was Jellal's voice, it eased the man's mind but it still urged him to get up. _"Get up, Natsu."_

"Leave me alone!" He yelled to no one, his body getting closer to the dirt, his cheek rubbing on it as if it was a comfortable pillow; until he felt something tugging him up by his scarf. He slapped whatever was grabbing his scarf and faced the ground. "I said, leave me alone!"

"Wake up you…!" He heard a female voice shout to him, his eyes opening wide in surprise before he paled at what was about to happen.

'Why didn't I notice sooner?' He cried internally, feeling his back being stomped by, what he thought was, the Titania's boot; and it was her, they found him on the ground near the railway and feeling the guilt in her, she reached first, gently trying to wake the man before attempting more 'insistent' methods… their partners looking at the scene from a few meters away with blank expressions.

"W-weren't we trying to check if he was alive?" Gray said through clenched teeth, flinching at the strong stomping the woman was giving the council member, who happened to be sleeping after he was thrown out the train.

"I-it'll be a miracle if he's alive after this…" Ryota said with some pity, shaking his head at the scene until something caught his attention, turning to look left and right before staring at the ice-mage with some confusion. "Hey, where's Lucy?"

"Uh? She said she didn't want to jump, so, she'll be waiting for us in Onibus." He received a strong bump on the head. "H-hey! What's your problem?"

"Idiot! You left her! A new mage! Alone and heading to the enemy's base! What's wrong with you?" He gave one final bump on the ice-mage's head, burying him to the ground before running close to the know fuming Erza and the groaning Luminer, the last trying weakly to stand on his feet. "Erza! Lucy stayed in the train! We need to hurry and look for her!"

"What?" The knight asked in shock, checking to see behind the man and try to find the blond, her eyes only finding Gray rubbing his head while muttering insults at red-eyed man. She turned to Ryota, eyeing him questioningly before sighing. "She was able to defeat a group of vulcans by herself; she'll hold her ground while we get there."

"You don't get it! I lied about those things!" He confessed to the surprised faces of everyone, making them turn serious and look for a way to reach the town as fast as they could. Luminer just standing at the sidelines with confused eyes, not getting why they were so worried about a girl that was new to their guild.

A thought crossing him after remembering how Jellal treated him when he got to the tower, being nice to him, encouraging him and helping him to get better; this situation was the same, the guild was the same as the tower and its occupants… or the stronger few of them. "Hey, if you want, I can take you there."

"What? Really?" Gray asked in surprise, taken aback by the sage's sudden display of cooperation. "How so?"

"I know a trick or two, how do you think I got to that town from Era in such a short time, Titania?" He asked with a smirk and question to the knight, who was losing her patience with his roundabout attitude.

"Just take us there and shut up already!" She shouted annoyed, a sword appearing in her hand and Ryota behind her trying to hold her back from skinning the smirking pink-haired alive.

"I-if…! Y-you can take us…! Ow! Stop moving, dammit! Take us there now!" The tall brunette said trying to avoid the Titania's attempts to get free, kicks and elbows making him grunt in pain as he stared at the sage's face going serious, the man giving a nod before getting close to the ice-mage, whom looked at him quizzically.

"In what direction is that town?" He asked calmly, Gray pointing a finger towards certain direction, not noticing Luminer's smirk when he did so; only noticing a hand grabbing him by the neck and later his eyes tearing up by the fast moving wind around and in front of him. In short, he was sent flying to Onibus. The two Fairy Tail mages staring blankly at the sage's smirking face and the flying Gray in the distance, not understanding how the man considered that as a trick for fast travelling. "Okay, who's next?"

"If you dare to throw me like that, I'll kill you." The Titania whispered dangerously, making the pink-haired chuckle.

"Don't worry, that was just the old way; with you two, I think I can use the other method." He said with a confident smile, walking to stand next to them and asking Ryota to release one of his hands from the woman to join hands with him, a magic seal of white color appearing under their surprised faces.

"W-what's this?" The tall man asked in surprise, not recognizing the magic seal's intricate runes.

"Teleport Magic." The sage said quietly, his features showing him focused and concentrated. "Normally, it'd consume most of my energy, but if you two lend me some of your magic, we'll be able to use it without losing much of our power."

Receiving nods from the other two; he closed his eyes and pictured the town in his mind, letting out a small burst of magic pressure before the three disappeared from the place.

_Hours later…_

"A group of Fairy Tail flies with a council member!" One of the members of Eisenwald yelled to everyone, looking at the five mages in front of them, all of them staring at the dark mages with strong resolve; unfazed by the number superiority of the enemy.

It was a long road to get to Oshibana's station to stop the plans of the dark guild, reaching Onibus first and discovering that the train in which Lucy was left and continued its way, Ryota rented a Magic Four-Wheel Drive to follow the railroad while Luminer and Erza carried an unconscious Gray from some rubble –the mage later waking up to shout curses at the sick-sage-. They found Lucy unscathed along the way with one of her Celestial Spirits having defended her from one of Eisenwald's mages and with her bringing news about what Lullaby was. Now knowing their true objective, everyone hurried to reach the next stop of the train.

It was a long road, pretty rocky, since Erza kept on ordering the driver to go faster; but they made it in time and now they were facing the whole of Eisenwald with just five mages on their side. "That just proves how weak they are!"

"I'll leave the rest to you," Erigor said with a smug smirk, looking down at the mages from Fairy Tail and the Council from his position in the air, surprising Erza, Luminer and Ryota with his next move. "I'll go and play with the flute a bit, leave these poor flies feel the power of Eisenwald's darkness…"

And he left the place, breaking through a window of the big hall, the mages cursing at him.

"Are you running away, Erigor!" Erza yelled in vain, watching helplessly how the man left the building.

"He's leaving towards their objective… without his guildmates." Luminer muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the dark guilds' way of doing things.

"Ryota! Gray! Go after him!" The Titania ordered while turning halfway, her serious face making the men straighten their postures and nod to her before running to the stairs leading to the third floor of the building; leaving Luminer and Lucy with her. "We'll take care of the rest."

"U-uh?" Lucy yelped in surprise, thinking that she wasn't hearing right. "W-we'll take care of the rest? All of this for three people?"

"Hey, I believe I left clear I wasn't participating in any battle!" The pink-haired reminded her with some annoyance, not understanding the woman's stubbornness.

"Are you afraid of fighting a dark guild, Luminer?" That made him snap, rising his spiritual pressure in anger; making several of the guys in Eisenwald's side take a step back in fear.

"What did you say?" He lighted his fists in flames, a tick on his head while his pink locks shadowed his face.

"H-hey! Two of them runaway!" One from the other side yelled.

"They're after Erigor-san!"

"I'll take care of them." A man dressed like a pharaoh said, his hand raised up and the bands around his fingers extending to hold a railing in the third floor and pull him out. "I'll get them!"

"Me too!" Kageyama growled with clenched teeth, hitting his palm against the floor and making his shadow envelop him. "I won't forgive them for staining our pride with their arrogance!"

"Hey, Rayule and Kage are really aggressive." One of the members of the dark guild said, gazing in shock at the three mages standing in front of them.

"They do it for the plan; they're more respectable than you."

"Anyway, check it out! They left us to play with a council member and two girls!"

"What can two girls do? Both are beautiful!"

"It's a shame we have to kill them…"

"And what about capturing them and then kill them?"

"Let's hope for a striptease from the fairies!"

Luminer the vein on his head popping up, not standing the comments made by the Eisenwald mages ignoring his presence almost completely in sake of the women standing next and behind him. He rushed forward with a howl, raising his fists engulfed in normal flames against the gossiping scum, stopping Erza in her tracks when she was about to call for a sword and fight them herself. "I'm here too! Dammit!"

Seeing the sage in anger wasn't new to her, so, she stopped and told Lucy to wait, knowing that the pink-haired was more than capable to take care of the enemies in front of them.

"Raining Inferno!" He called the spell while swinging his arms madly, hitting several mages with precision before changing his way of fighting; furrowing his eyebrows together in concentration while putting his hands together with palms open, a white light escaping from the union of his hands. "Heaven's Flame! Punishing light!"

"Arg! My eyes!" Some of them yelled in pain, their eyes unable to see the man taking the chance to defeat them all with strong hits at an incredible speed; surprising the two girls from Fairy Tail that weren't affected by his last spell.

"I never imagined a Sage to have this power…!" Lucy muttered in shock, watching the man appearing and disappearing on the field at an incredible speed for her, only reappearing to land a flamed hit on one of Erigor's lackeys before vanishing again. She was so concentrated on the man's moves that she only averted her eyes just for a second when a flash of light close to her called her attention; checking what was it, she saw Erza standing with a sword in both hands, ten others floating above her and her new armor.

"Heaven's wheel Armor!"

The scarlet knight said, smiling with a serious face at the sage fighting before her, not noticing the blonde's surprised face. She was sporting a plated armor that covered her chest with a large metal flower over it, and she wore a large billowing skirt that had metal plating in the upper area. Her stomach and neck were uncovered, and she had large metal wings that appeared to be made of individual blades, as well as a wing-like headpiece.

"I won't let him take the credit for this; dance my swords! Circling Swords of Heaven!" The attack slashed through many of the enemies, some of the swords getting in the way of the sage and making him narrow his eyes at the scarlet, who just smirked tauntingly. "Oh, I'm sorry, was he one of yours?"

He growled in annoyance, hitting another mage in his way. "Fire Fist!"

"You bitch!" One of the enemy yelled from above the Titania, she looked up with her face unreadable, watching the man come at her with a spell at the ready in his hand when a flash of light appeared next to him and he was kicked in the face by an annoyed Luminer.

"She's mine, you asshole!" He yelled irritated, disappearing in another flash and returning to the front of the fight, stopping when he noticed that there was no one else to fight against. He growled at that. "Tch, I'm still fired up…"

"A-amazing!" Lucy yelled from behind, not having taken part of the fight as she was too shocked of the sage's and Titania's strength. "I'm falling in love with you two!"

Erza took a last survey of their surroundings, seeing all of Eisenwald's members down and neutralized with a pink-haired sage standing among all of them with his fists aflame before he called them off and turned to where the girls were… a bored look on his face. The scarlet knight felt the need to quirk an eyebrow at his last words, not knowing what he meant by them. "I'm yours?"

Luminer looked at her for a moment before he replied as he began to walk towards her, his steps quick and sure.

"Yeah, you're mine." He replied in a low voice with the hint of a growl behind it, his eyes boring hard into Erza's widening eyes. Even the mere thought of someone else taking down Erza Scarlet was enough to want his flames to ignite due to sheer annoyance.

Erza's eyes blinked numbly as she felt that her own cheeks were going to catch fire like Luminer's fists a moment ago. Surely, he did not mean what he had said when they first met! That was impossible! It was indecent! It was improper! And he was the ally of her hated enemy! He had no right to put such a strong gaze upon her like that! That gaze that held such a strong... presence.

Wait, what was she thinking about!?

"W-wait a minute! Wha-What do you mean- !?"

"If anyone's going to beat you, it'll be me, Titania." He replied with a growl, not meeting eyes with hers as he walked just past her shoulder, going to lean against a pillar close to the hall's entrance. "So what now? We wait for the others?"

"..."

'Ah...of course he meant that.' For some reason, Erza's fist wanted to smash his face through the pillar. She now knew just how Jellal was planning to torture her with Luminer's presence. And it made her anger rise against the both of them for a variety of reasons.

"Yes." She nodded to him, changing back to her normal armor, turning to face the two mages with her. Lately noticing a fat guy looking in direction of the stairs in fear. "Lucy! Go after him! He'll surely warn Erigor, stop him!"

"E-eh? M-me?" She received a glare and a 'please' as an answer. "I-I'm going!"

"Huh…" She heard the voice of Luminer behind her; he was still leaning against the pillar, a taunting smirk on his face. "Not wanting to let them see your weak side?"

"What do you mean?" She asked with a scowl, not liking the guy's intuition.

"I mean about your energy exhaustion," He said nonchalantly, walking close to her. "You're holding your breath, sweating, and your magic power is low."

"And what if that's true?" 'Does that mean you'll inform him about it?' She asked the full question internally, clenching her teeth behind her lips in anger when remembering one of the possible reasons for him to be there. She believed he was there to spy on her and her teammates, scout the ground for the man with azure-hair that she despised. He shrugged, tilting his head to a side for a moment while standing in front of her; staring at her with his onyx eyes narrowed.

"Nothing; take care of your magic reserves, you won't help anyone if you're crawling on the floor." And he turned to look around, ignoring the surprised face of the woman.

'Is he… advising me how to get stronger?' She stopped her thinking for a moment, realizing that he was talking to her.

"By the way, I defeated twenty of them…" He said with a smug smirk, she quirked an eyebrow at him, not knowing what he was meaning with that until she remembered the previous fight; a smirk of her own answering his.

"I took down twenty-one…"

He growled in annoyance.

_Flash forward…_

"Can't you teleport us again?" Ryota asked in despair, not liking the idea of being trapped inside a prison of wind while Erigor headed to the Guild Masters' meeting at Clover. His hands gripping the bored-looking sage's arms in waiting for his answer to be the one he wanted, unluckily, Luminer shook his head with a small frown.

"Sorry, but it drains a lot of my energy, and the fight I had with those Eisenwald's weaklings back there, left me with just enough to stand the day…" He said with a glare directed at the scarlet knight standing a few feet away from him, glaring him as strong as he was glaring at her.

"I can't help you…" He said again, his eyes returning to the man clutching him by the arms. "I can't teleport anyone until a day passes…"

"Shit! They'll get what they want and the masters will die!" Gray screamed in anger, hitting the high-spinning wind barrier with one of his fists, the thing shocking his hand back with cuts all over it; his jacket's sleeve ripped to pieces and blood stained.

"Gray…" Lucy said with an understanding voice, laying a hand on the man's shoulder to ease his anger.

"We need to find another way to get out." Erza said to them, pointing them their main objective at the moment. "If we get out of here, we'll just have to worry about reaching Clover before Erigor."

"But how do we do that?" Ryota yelled, not knowing any kind of way to get them all out; his way could only get him out, leaving the others behind. "The barriers will shredder us to pieces if we try to cross it!"

Luminer heard their discussion for a bit, debating if the idea he had was worth the effort for the mages of Fairy Tail, until he saw their hopeless eyes looking down in regret for not being able to do anything. He sighed, knowing that his next action will surely infuriate Jellal when he explains what he did. "Fairies."

"Luminer?" Erza asked with a deep scowl, not liking the nickname he gave them. She eyed him carefully, seeing him walking close to the barrier, raising a hand and getting it close to the swirling winds. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you all out of here, but you'll only have a few minutes." He said with his concentration taking over him, calling for the flames his father taught him to gather them all at the front of his hand, engulfing it in it deep red colored flames of immense heat and making the wind dispel around it and opening an exit from the train station before the surprised faces of the others. He looked over his shoulder with shadowed eyes, grunting his orders when feeling the wind barrier overcome him and start to cut his hand and arm. "Come on! Get out now!"

They didn't need to be told twice; Ryota grabbed the wounded Kageyama from the wall and followed the others in their run, only the Titania remaining behind in waiting for the sage. "Come! We're all outside!"

"S-sorry, but I can't," He said with a forced smirk, flinching when the barrier overwhelmed him even more and made more cuts on his arm. "I-If I stop, the barrier will close and if I try to run pass it, it will skewer me into a million pieces…"

"But, Luminer…!"

"Leave already! I'll find a way to get out on my own!" He yelled to her, watching her shocked face before stopping his magic; her widening eyes tempting a small smile on his lips, knowing that they'll surely defeat the Shinigami, even if her power was low, they still had that man in red clothes and the ice mage to continue. 'I can let the job to them, I know their strength is enough; tch… Jellal was right I need to get stronger…'

And just as if reading his thoughts, a hand reached for him, a wall made of ice and iron standing to hold back the wind he was stopping with his magic, looking at the hand grabbing his wrist, he saw a gauntlet and gloves of pure steel denying his fall; the serious face of the knight and her teammates behind her, surprising him beyond his normal limits. "You're not leaving us yet, Luminer!" 'Not until I get some answers!'

He smiled weakly at them, his held arm twisting to grab Erza's wrist with his hand, a familiar force inside, that he only felt with Jellal, fuelling him to continue against the odds and push himself from the ground. "Took you long enough…"

"Don't talk or we'll close the hole and cut you in half." Gray and Ryota said tired of the pink-hair's remarks, holding the arc of ice and iron that was breaking and repairing in the process; Luminer shut his mouth and nodded, using all his strength to pull himself up and on the other side of the barrier, finally doing so after a hard struggle.

He was on all fours in the floor, panting, trying to recover some energy before they left to stop the Shinigami, understanding that the mission couldn't wait and they needed to hurry before it was too late; he thought about the current situation, his enemy was far now and they were at the starting point with two of the strongest exhausted… they wouldn't be reaching Clover in time.

'Unless…' He thought with wide eyes, repeating his line of thinking, realizing that _two of four_ of the strongest were down. 'But there's still two! Who's better to face that guy?' He looked at both for a moment, his mind replaying the events of the day to decide which one would be the best choice, but then, something about the tall man caught his attention; he was sure he saw a wall of ice AND iron when they pulled him out of the station. "Ryota!"

"Uh?" Said man looked at the panting sage in wonder, getting near to hear what he needed. "What's wrong?"

"We… we need to stop Erigor… right?" The pink-haired said in between gasps for air, making the brunette worry and try to get him to rest; Luminer shook his head furiously, pushing away any kind of help and standing up shakily on his own two feet with a single question for the Fairy Tail mage. "In… in which direction is Clover?"

"Following the rails, why…? Oh… no…" Ryota said while backing away, raising his hands in negative and shaking his head desperately. "You won't do that with me!"

"S-sorry but it's the only way…" His left fist lunging past the man's defenses and hitting him square in the jaw; a strong scream and burst of magic coming out of the pink-haired to give more strength to the attack. "Fire fist!"

"Like heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell!" He shouted after receiving a strong fire jaw from the pink-haired, flying with a loud scream and shouting curses, the sage dropping to his knees with a more exhausted appearance; panting loudly while smirking at his actions.

'Jellal will make me do paperwork for a month… but who cares?' He thought before falling to the ground on his back, smiling at the sky weakly with his eyes almost closing and his chest moving up and down erratically. He felt good after helping them; his heart felt like he hadn't felt in years, pure of joy and fulfillment. And their actions, even if they made his mind go in overdrive at finding out why they did it, he believed he had a clue as to why it was. 'I'll sleep a bit for now…'

'Why did he do that?' A certain red-head wondered inwardly, frowning at the man sleeping on the ground, her steps taking her next to him and kneel to grab one of his arms and carry him over her shoulder; his death weight confirming that he was indeed sleeping and exhausted. 'Is he really helping us or trying to gain our trust?'

"Erza!" She shook her head of thoughts and looked ahead, spotting Lucy waving a hand and pointing at a vehicle Gray found close-by. A tourists' vehicle with a driver seat for two people and a large space to sit at the back for the passengers in the form of a square, surrounded by bars that held together a tent to protect the people from the sunlight. "Let's go! We need to catch up with Ryota!"

"Now, how's this…?" Gray muttered, staring confusedly at the controls of the vehicle, he knew how to start it and how to use the magic plug but he didn't know how make it move. "Dammit, I should have gone with Loki to those driving lessons…"

"Gray." A voice next to him called him with an icy undertone, his head turning slowly to see Erza carrying the council member over her shoulder and glaring at him to do as told. "Move; I'll drive."

"A-aye…!" He released the plug from his arm and jumped to the back of the car, keeping his eyes on the knight and expecting for her to hand him the sage to lay him on one of the seats, but getting surprised when the woman accommodated the man to sit next to her in the driver's seat. "Are you sure, Erza? He needs to rest…"

"I want to keep an eye on him; he'll stay where I can see him." Attaching the plug to her right arm, she moved the gear shift and clutched the steering wheel with both her hands, calling forth what remained of her energy; flinching when she felt the last bits of it made her head spin. The teleportation with Luminer and Ryota emptied half of her reserves, she used a lot of her magic to fight the dark mages at the station and, now, she was barely holding herself together. "Hold tight."

"As you say!" Gray and Lucy complied knowingly, grabbing the bars that held the tent strongly and keeping their eyes fixed in the road, Kageyama rolling his eyes at their action, understanding about this kind of car; he knew the thing couldn't go at great speeds.

The knight moved the wheel forward and he felt his eyes widen as saucers, falling to the floor when the vehicle started to ride at an unbelievable speed. Trying his best to return to his seat and his previous sitting position, he looked away when the mages from Fairy Tail threw him amused smirks.

_Meanwhile, in the railroad connecting Clover and Oshibana…_

Flying over a great canyon of dark deeps and high towers of rock coming to the surface, Erigor looked at the railway under his figure, noticing that the road now took a straighter path than the zig-zag pattern he has been following. Looking ahead, he noticed the end of the canyon was near, as well as the town of Clover. "I can see the town already."

He let himself smirk at the obvious outcome for their plans, knowing that now that the flies were trap inside the train station and couldn't do anything to sto- "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell!"

"Uh?" He looked behind and saw a small red dot coming in his direction at great speed, his eyes widening when the figure was more discernible and it showed itself to be the black-haired man from the group of fairies.

"I'm going to kill that guy!" Ryota yelled to the skies, twisting his position in the air and giving Erigor a strong double-kick in the jaw, making both fall to the railways below. He fell in a kneeling position, rising one of his hands to rub the place where the sage hit him; uncaring of the dark mage crashing strongly a few feet away. "He could have teleported us all to Clover instead of sending me like this…"

"Y-you…!" Erigor started to talk after a moment, glaring in between the cloud of dust at the man that stopped him from reaching his destination and dared to harm him. Ryota scowled at him, standing up from the ground while cracking his knuckles and neck. "W-why are you here!"

"Isn't it obvious?" The man answered with a small snort, clapping his hands together and letting a black light engulf them before showing two sharp long swords without handles where his hands and forearms were supposed to be. "I'm going to beat the crap out of you!"

_In Clover…_

Following the railway was Clover town, a rather small town, situated in a mountainous area, surrounded by forest. It is best known for the fact, that it is the place where Masters of Legal Guilds gather to discuss most important problems once a month.

But let's go inside, shall we?

"Makarov-chan!" A masculine voice with a feminine undertone called to the little man dancing on top of a table. The 'man' talking was an old, bald, cross-dressing man, who also seemed to wear make-up. He donned a pink spaghetti-strap shirt, had a necklace with circle patterns on it, and pink and purple vertical-striped shorts. His most notable feature was his wings that were located in his back which he showed to use them to fly. He was Blue Pegasus's Master, Bob; and, yes, he IS a male. "I love the mages of your guild! They're so lively! I heard they beat an important man from somewhere!"

"Ooooh! Right, that was Lucy!" The one to answer, the man called Makarov, was an extremely short, elderly man. He had black eyes and was growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. He also had a thick white mustache. He smirked proudly, his face flushed because of the alcohol he was holding in his hand. He was Fairy Tail's Master, Makarov Dreyar; an old pervert. "She's our newest member! She's hot! You should see her chest!"

"Kyaaa! Pervert!" The other 'man' answered with a squeal, waving at his old friend's unchanged behavior.

"It's okay to be so lively, but… don't you think you go too far sometimes?" Another man said, this one being taller, with a top hat that had a dog's collar on it, and long brown hair that reached to his shoulders. Wearing a dark-blue shirt and black jeans, and tinted glasses, that avoided people from seeing his eyes. He was crossing his arms and closing to where the other two were, frowning at their conversation. He was Quatro Cerberus' Master, Goldmine. "I heard that the Council is worried you'll destroy a town soon…"

He was completely ignored by the dancing Makarov. "Oooooh! I want to be buried in Lucy's boobs for eternity!"

"Oh, dear! Don't make fun of your mages!"

Then, a small bird with a wizard's hat flying close to the group interrupted them; carrying a small letter addressed to the short old man and making him stop his dancing. "Makarov-sama, you have a letter from Mirajane-sama."

"_Master, thank you for attending the regular meeting," The image of Mira said with a small smile and waving a hand, the upper part of her body appearing on top of the letter._

"Look! She's our drawing card! Isn't she soooo cute?" The old man yelled to the rest of the congregation, widening his grin at seeing the heart-stares the image of his mage earned.

"_We've got some wonderful news while you were gone!" She started with a bright smile and extending her arms to the sides in happiness._

"Oh?"

"_Erza returned with a council member and formed a team with Ryota and Gray! Of course, Lucy's with them too!" She continued with a dreamy look._

"!"

"_Don't you think it's wonderful?"_ Makarov could only stare at the letter with small droplets of sweat starting to form on his face. _"I think this might be very well the strongest team in Fairy Tail!"_

"…" More sweat fell from his face… and his body too, the hand holding the letter shaking in shock.

"_The council member is with them too! I think his name was Luminer or something! He explained he was here by Erza's invitation."_ She went on, shocking Makarov and the rest of the guild masters assembled in that room; Mira's bright smile and words not doing anything to ease their surprise._ "She looked so normal with him! Bickering and hitting him when he behaved wrong! I think they look lovely together!"_

Makarov's face was the perfect description of appalled, his sweat falling to the floor like a downpour while the rest of his equals heard in shock what was happening in Fairy Tail.

"L-luminer is with them..!"

"And the Titania dared to contradict him and hit him…!"

"M-makarov!"

"_Anyway, I thought I'd better inform you of all this, so I wrote a letter!" She said good bye with a sweet voice, waving a hand as her image disappeared from sight. "See you then."_

And not standing the pressure on him, the old man fell to the floor on his back, staring with wide unbelieving eyes at the ceiling; his colleagues rushing to check his state and help him.

'G-Goodness gracious! Now they might really destroy an entire town! And that Luminer is with them too! I should hope for him to keep them from doing insanities…!' But a memory came back to him, the news from two months ago concerning the council member and a war in the north… and the conclusion of it.

_Fiore's news: Luminer Dragneel, respectable member of the Magic Council in Era, visited today the sieged city of Kracto and engaged the enemy together with the defenders of the city… …The outcome was the total annihilation of the Ming Pirates, and part of the fortress of Kracto being leveled to the ground by his wild flames._

_In words of this reporter, if Luminer-sama would have wanted, he could have as well destroyed the whole town if he didn't have loss interest in the fight and left the place to return to his usual occupations._

'I can't trust that man to keep them in check! O-okay… the regular meeting will end today and I'll return tomorrow… So don't create any mess until then! Please!'

Unfortunately, he was too late to plea for them to stop, not knowing that his children and the councilor already caused a lot of destruction in their pass.

He would have to wait a few more hours before knowing the reason behind the destruction they caused.

And also question Erza why she invited a council member, especially Luminer from all the nine, to accompany her to Fairy Tail.

**To be continued.**

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***sighs*  
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**Great, I finish it! This chapter was a hard bone to crack, you know? I tried to make the best possible to add some** _subtle_** hints for a building relationship in it and this is what I've got in the end. I hope you liked it!****  
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**I said I was going to add 1k more for each review I received and I got 7! Wow! Thank you all! Your reviews are what keep me writing and encourage me to do better, especially when you criticize my work and tell me how to improve it, keep doing that, please! Your opinions are read thoughtfully and taken into account for the actual and future chapters. *nods*  
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**Okay, I'm lacking words at the moment, so I'll say good bye and leave you...  
**

**...until the next chapter comes up!  
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**Saludos!  
**


	7. A favor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

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**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

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**Chapter 6: A favor.**

The four-wheeled vehicle kept on moving forward, despite the hard road it was taking and the occupants' constant concern of falling off of it to the deep of the precipice at their sides; Erza knew that there was no more direct way to reach Clover town than the railway connecting the small village with Oshibana, she didn't need to think twice about it, the railway was the only path she'd use to ensure that the Masters were protected.

Gray and Lucy had no troubles with her decision, not much anyway, they could –one more than the other- understand her worry. Gray cared a lot for the old man to let him perish when there was still something he could do to prevent it, and Lucy grew attached to the feeling her guildmates had for the caring man when she faced their struggle to save him against all hardship.

On the other hand, Kageyama didn't care; he was just their prisoner and was hanging around with them until the opportunity to escape presents itself. And Luminer, even when he was ordered by _him_ to just observe and get involved if he was forced to, he had a parallel feeling that could be compared to the one the Fairy Tail mages were having. The possibility of losing your father figure, the one to teach you all of which you know, and the dreadful feeling when you fail to do so was what pushed him in some moments to do more than just sit and stare.

"Ha… we destroyed your original transport and you steal another one… that's a good one." Kageyama said with some resentment, looking away from the glaring mages close to him, crossing his arms and thinking about how the legal guilds were no different to the likes of his. The only difference being their choice of work.

The blonde Celestial mage snapped at the words, glaring at him with a clenched fist, the other hand gripping tightly to the bars' of the car; knowing from previous experience that the road was dangerous and she couldn't let go of it if she wanted to live on. "It's just temporary!" 'That's what Gray and Erza told me at least…'

He couldn't get their actions or their intentions. Was he a prisoner to exchange when they find Erigor or are they just taking him to deliver him to the authorities later? He had to ask, and the answer he got from the two sitting at the back of the car with him surprised him… but what surprised him more was the sudden skidding of the vehicle… and the blonde's butt hitting against his head and making it crash against a bar behind him.

"Erza! Are you alright?" Gray moved to look at the knight after the skidding stopped, watching with some concern how she was gasping for her breath, sweating and trying to remain awake; his senses alerting him that she was running out of magic.

'Damn! My eyes are getting blurry...!' She thought as her hands tried strongly to keep the car on the railroad and prevent it from falling down the cliff to the bottomless precipice. 'I can't worry about myself now! We need to reach Ryota and support him!'

"T-gulp!-titania..." She heard the voice of the mage next to her, the man forcing his way off her shoulder to fall on her lap hardly, his arms moving weakly to grab the magic plug from her arm. "S-stop the car..."

"W-what? No! We need to reach Ryota and help him...!" He didn't listen to her; instead, he grabbed the plug and with a simple swift move switched it to his arm, letting the vehicle suck his energy instead of Erza's. The knight watched in shock, trying her best to maneuver when the sage disconnected the power supply and changed it for his own magic. "I-idiot! What were you trying to do? We could have fallen down the cliff!"

"I... I know that... but with you, that's not -gulp- a possibility..." He answered weakly, giving his best to smirk while enduring his sickness; lending his already low reserves to supply the car with power. "G-go on! You guys don't -gulp- have time to lose!"

Erza frowned as she considered her new options. Not being drained of magic certainly helped - and who knew what was going to happen when they got to Clover? "Alright, I'll rely on you for this!" She steadied the car, finding it much easier now that her magical energy wasn't being drained away. She glanced back down, through the corner of her eyes, at the pink-haired mage in her lap that was supplying the power to the vehicle, his discomfort at being both sick and having energy drained was obvious on his face to her as for anyone else. 'Why...why is he doing all of this for us?' Doubt clouded her eyes - doubt in Luminer's overall goals and doubting her own earlier judging of Luminer's character.

She shook her head as the vehicle rumbled down the track- there would be plenty of time to figure his contradictory behavior later.

'Weird guy…' The brunette watching the whole scene thought with a frown, staying close to the front of the car for a moment. He didn't get the sage's actions, he heard he wasn't going to interfere, that he was going to observe from the sidelines how they took care of their usual missions… and here he was, helping them along to the point of exhaustion.

As if he was part of the guild, as if he was one of them, doing everything in his power to help them; going back to his seat, crossing his arms in thinking, Gray couldn't understand if he was really helping because he meant it or because he had other reasons to do so. 'It doesn't matter; I'll keep an extra eye on him while he stays with us…'

* * *

_A few kilometers away…_

The wind began to blow hard, kicking up dust in its wake, its strong pass making almost imperceptible sounds resembling whistles; the bridge structure that supported the railroad tracks slight shaking could be felt even when in motion, and could give one the idea that it was going to collapse, but the two fighters who were above it could not tell. Their eyes and minds were more concerned with the next move that the opponent might do if let down his guard.

"Hey, why so quiet?" Ryota asked after a moment passed and his enemy still stood immobile a few meters away from him, smirking at the shocked face he was wearing and the possible questions plaguing his mind at the moment. He dragged a foot forward; crouching and extending his arms-swords to the sides, his move making the dark mage snap out of thinking and take flight to avoid any kind of charge from the red-eyed mage. "Oh? Getting scared?"

"How…?" Erigor whispered quietly, ignoring the mage's taunts, his face contorting in anger when he reached the conclusion that his guildmates were defeated and his impassable barrier was breached. "How did you cross my wind barrier?"

"Oh, that…" Ryota looked up at the question, shrugging lazily when answering. "Remember the guy that was with us…? Well, he and Erza defeated your pals and he later opened a way out of your barrier with a single hand… pretty cool, huh?"

'He crossed my barrier with just raising a hand?' The shinigami thought in panic, quickly realizing the guy's actual strength with that fact alone; reaching the conclusion that it'd be better for him to avoid a fight with the councilor. He narrowed his eyes at the other guy standing below him; it would be better if he finished this fight before the sage reaches their position. "I see… bad luck for you then…"

"Uh? Why?" Ryota asked with a tilted head, bringing his arms up to cover his front when the white-haired moved his arms and scythe, and slashed three times in his direction. A strong gust of wind made him take a step back before feeling three slashes cut the upper part of his arms and shoulders. He glared at the dark mage, shrugging the pain from his new injuries as if they were nothing. "So, you won't get near me… right?"

"I don't have time for scum like you; I have a meeting to attend." Erigor said darkly with a smirk, this one faltering when the Fairy Tail mage raised his arms and pointed them at him, smirking widely when the swords his arms now were started to glow that black color again. The shinigami sweated in fear at the palpable power emanating from the so-called 'fly', raising his scythe to block whatever it was going to be sent at him.

"Iron God's Skewering Spikes!" A deep-black magic seal with purple tints appeared in front of the two extended arms, the seal disappearing and letting his arms shot a large number of steel spears towards Erigor multiple times in rapid succession. The Eisenwald's last mage quickly spun his scythe in front of him to stop the spears from hurting him, noticing with fear and shock that the moment a spear made contact with his weapon it shattered completely, leaving him defenseless to the rest of the spears that were coming at him.

He clenched his teeth in anger at the turning odds, using his flight to move away from the spears, dodging them the best he could while feeling the pain of the first ones that graced his upper body and arms; tilting his head out of reflex when one of the sharp spikes was going to pierce his head in the middle, watching with shock at the cut on his cheek and the little drop of blood that escaped from the wound.

"Y-you…" He whispered in hate, the wind around him picking up its pace and surrounding him in swirling motion that became stronger with each second; Ryota just narrowed his eyes to avoid getting dust in his eyes, noticing with a serious expression how the mage's power grew with every second. "You dared to hurt me, you weak fly! And that's something no one survives to tell! I'll show you now!" The wind becoming a tornado of minor scale; crossing his hands before him, he prompted the air currents to gather around him, making the small tornado a hurricane that surrounded his entire body. He cackled behind his new form, his eyes shining in a devilish white behind the mail of wind; "Wind Mail…"

"Impressive…" The red-eyed watching the spectacle said with a small clap of hands, looking more bored than impressed. "And just how is that going to help you?"

"You shouldn't have asked that, fly…" He bent his arms and pointed his hands towards the sky, with his index and middle fingers stretched. He subsequently placed his two index and middle fingers in an "X" shape in front of him, generating a halo of light around his hands, from which a large, concentrated blast of wind blades was fired towards the still unsurprised mage of Fairy Tail. "Emera Baram!"

The spell cut down the large steel beams composing the railroad Ryota was standing on, making a part of the railway that lead to Oshibana fall in some parts; making it unusable for the train to pass.

He stopped the spell and his wind mail, now laughing openly at the obvious demise of the brunette that was fighting him, his hands rising in victory while holding the flute that would end the Masters' lives. He was right all along, the legal guilds were nothing but scum and Fairy Tail was just the biggest pile from them.

"Oe, you ruined my coat…"

"Uh?" He stopped his gloating at the sound of that voice, looking down to see the clearing wind and dust give away the figure of the man he thought death; he was glaring at him, sharpening his swords with an evil grin, his clothes in tatters and falling off of him before the surprised Erigor. He backed away at the picture, gaping in horror at the realization. 'H-he survived the Emera Baram!'

"I'll return the favor." He failed to notice him jumping towards him, at great speed and height, only realizing that the guy was going to attack him when they were face to face. Ryota extended his sword-arms up and to the side, the dark-purple energy surrounding its edges.

"W-wind Mail!" He called for his best defense to appear again, hoping that the wild winds were able to deflect the frontal attack.

"Iron God's Crucifix!" He swung his arms forward and down in an cross shape, slashing Erigor in the chest with a strength that broke past his defensive spell and sent him crashing against the remnants of the railway in Clover's direction; Ryota falling alongside with him with his eyes fixed in the cloud of dust that the collision made.

"Ugh…! Ahhhh!" Erigor screamed in pain, the swords breaking his body beyond his endurance, and falling to the floor in defeat; the attack was too powerful for him to cover it even with his Wind Mail. He couldn't understand. Why did he fail? That weird guy with the tattoo told them they weren't going to fail, that the mages from Fairy Tail were nothing but mere insects in comparison. How could they fail?

Ryota frowned at the result, expecting more from someone cataloged as one of the strongest mages in between the dark guilds. Walking to stand next to the panting man after seeing that he was beaten, he shook his head and, kneeling to press a hand on his chest, his magic seal appeared again to let three ropes of iron extend from the palm of his hand and tied the dark mage tightly; the battle was over… sadly.

"And here I thought you were going to be a good challenge…" He said with some regret, heaving a tired sigh, looking up to think about the short fight. "Or maybe… I went overboard again, tch, Master's right; I need to control my strength…"

"Y-you… s-scum…!" Erigor spat forcefully, grinding his teeth together, glaring at the mage now staring at him. "Y-you… all of you from that shitty guild…! A-are monsters…!"

"Oh, really…? I guess you're right about that…" The red-eyed mage commented nonchalantly, shrugging the glare and words; smirking when he thought about what fueled him to fight like he does. "But, we're monsters with reasons to fight, mind you…"

"R-reason? W-what reason?" He snapped again, spitting some blood under the man's boots, earning a small tightening of the ropes around him. "Y-you are like us! Y-you do what you want and don't care about the Council or the other guilds!"

"In that you're wrong," Ryota answered with a soft smile, standing up to gaze at the end of the railway that leaded to Clover before looking towards the road to Oshibana, spotting in the distance a car coming towards them at full speed; the figures of Gray, Lucy, Erza and the sage becoming clearer with each second. "We care about the Council and the other guilds… not much, but enough… and we're what we are because of our nakama…"

"N-nakama…?"

* * *

_In the Magic Council at Era._

"Ah, another fight with Fairy Tail as the victor," Ultear whispered sarcastically to the other sages in the room, all of them watching the orb at the middle of the table with serious expressions, their concentration on the events in Oshibana and Clover clearly shown to the younger members of the Council. "How could I not see that coming?"

"With Luminer there, it is too be expected." Siegrain added absently, his eyes watching with a small frown at the image of his friend laying on the Titania's lap and supplying their vehicle with his energy, despite him being exhausted after using so much of his magic. He moved his head down to be supported by his hands and the table, his frown deepening when he saw the mages from Fairy Tail meet up with the black-haired man that confronted Erigor, and Luminer being dragged to celebrate with the others; even if he was still weary from his motion sickness and exhausting his magic.

"I cannot believe Luminer would aid those idiots." Councilor Org said in between clenched teeth, shaking his head in disapproval. "I hoped him to be more objective when accompanying them in this so-called mission."

"It might be true, but he had reasons to intervene as he did," Councilor Michello added, narrowing his eyes in thinking. "Stopping that guild and their usage of Lullaby to kill the guild masters of the region; I can understand why he did what he did."

"And so can the rest of us, but the mindless destruction could have been avoided." The second woman in the Council, Belno, said with her mind remembering the damages done in Onibus, Oshibana, the train the Fairy Tail mages used and the railway to Clover. "Luminer, as a member of this Council, should have avoided those situations; now everyone will think we approve of Fairy Tail and their reckless attitude."

"I wouldn't count on that." Ultear countered with a small smirk. "Everyone saw that the mages from Fairy Tail did all the damage, our friend only intervene in a small fight and breaking through a barrier."

"That's true." Another councilor, Leiji, said with a curt nod. "Luminer intervene, yes, but enough to allow his companions the success of their mission."

"Still," Siegrain mouthed for everyone to hear, startling the sages with his voice; Ultear turning to look at him in confusion. "He could have stopped the idiots from doing their usual destruction."

"And that's the final verdict, Luminer was right in helping Fairy Tail but he should have prevented the mindless destruction from occurring." Org said finally, being second to the chairman –that was not there at the moment- gave him the authority to end the meetings and the outcome of them. He stood up, the others following his lead, and headed to the exit of the room. "We'll exact punishment on him when he returns."

"Siegrain-sama," Ultear called for the azure-haired still watching the orb, the images showing that Kageyama escaped with the flute and the car to complete his guild's objective, surprising the mages that thought he changed; rolling her eyes in mild annoyance, she saw him clenched his hands into a single closed fist when Natsu was picked up by the Titania and carried to Clover with the others following them. "What changed your mind with Luminer to be against him now?"

"Nothing, I'm doing my job." He said dryly, dispelling the orb and heading to the exit as well, the black-haired woman following him close behind.

"Your job?" She asked with a bit of confusion, her mind understanding quickly what was going on inside the man's head; a small chuckle escaping her and making Jellal turn around to face her. "You are jealous."

"I'm not." He answered shortly, narrowing his eyes at the growing smile on the woman's face. "Drop whatever idea you're thinking, I'm not jealous, I'm guiding my friend to the right path."

And he turned to walk away, heading to his office with the woman close on his feet. "And what path is that one?"

"My path." They walked through the enormous building of the Council, greeting the people coming their way and pretending to be chatting about the normal affairs of a sage when they reached Siegrain's office; both getting inside, he closed and locked the door, motioning for her to take a seat as he did the same, getting comfortable before he told her what he wanted from her. "Call Brain."

"Brain?" She asked a little confused, making her orb appear on her palm and starting the connection, the man's face appearing after a few minutes of waiting; he looked annoyed at being called randomly and without previous warning.

"What do you want?" He asked with some curiosity, not knowing what they could want from him; Ultear pointed to Jellal and let the two speak without any worry.

"Remember that old armor you told me about…"

"The armor of allegiance? What of it?"

"Yes, that one, do you still have it?"

"Yes, why? You want to try it?"

"In a way, yes, but not on me."

"Does it have anything to do with that brat you sent me to train a few years ago?"

"Natsu? Yes." Jellal said with a small smirk, the black-haired woman finally understanding what he was intending to do. "I don't want him running lose all the time or betraying me, so, I need that armor."

"I see; I'll deliver it shortly." Brain said with a knowing smirk, foretelling the azure-hair's reasons for requesting that old piece of lost magic; he finished the call and went to do as told, leaving Jellal thinking about how to make his friend use the armor without him knowing, Ultear narrowing her eyes at him and his solution.

"You seriously are jealous." She said after a moment, sighing tiredly at the childish behavior he was displaying. "You don't need that armor to make Natsu obey your every order, just talk with him, he's easy to convince."

"That's why I have to use this resource, Ultear," He muttered quietly, standing up to see beyond the window of his office, turning his back to her rolling eyes. "He's easy to convince, I cannot trust him fully, I realized that after this past week and what happened today in Oshibana; he'll betray me if I don't do something to prevent it."

"And the armor of allegiance is your solution? Please," She said sarcastically, standing up from her seat and coming to stand next to him, watching at the training Knights in the courtyard below. "It'll not work if the user's will is strong and you know that, and Natsu has the will of a wild horse, or a dragon, he won't be easily subdued."

"Oh," He mouthed with a smirk, knowing the way to make the boy do what he wanted. "But even the wildest of horses can be tamed, dragons included; you just need to find the way to do it."

"And that way is…?"

"His father."

**To be continued.**

* * *

**New chapter! Wow! I now pass to let you all know the current state of my updating process.  
**

**First, 'A change of scene'. Second, 'Mindblowing'. Third, 'My Candy'. Fourth, a special, I'll surely find something to write about. And fifth, 'Treason'. In that order, I need to set a road for me or I'll go disregarding some stories for the sake of the new ones.  
**

**So, what do you think? I'm sorry if the OC seemed a bit overpowered but, it's for the sake of his introduction, better challenges will await him when the story advances. Not gonna tell you of those situations, yet.  
**

**So, read and review?  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	8. A flashforward

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 7: A flash-forward.**

_Two months later…_

"You are… Team Erza, right?"

An armored figure said to them, calling their attention away from the renewed guild building to his approaching form and distorted voice, bowing in a way of greeting before the confused members that returned from Akane Resort with the old Master and Juvia standing next to him and sighing.

He was wearing deep red full body armor with a scaled pattern that was tightly pressed to his body. Gauntlets with long claws at the tip of its fingers and sharp protruding blades at his elbow guards, shoulder pads that looked like dragon wings, scaled greaves with dragon wings at the exterior sides of his legs and a tight black bodysuit underneath that covered and protected his body. His helmet was closed shut, not allowing anyone see his face but allowing him to see through a black-tinted visor set at eye level; what looked like a dragon's head and arms hugging it was the decoration of the helmet.

He had a shield of triangular shape with flames at the edges on his back and a single –edged, curved-blade with a dragon's claw handle hanging loosely from his waist.

"My name is Ignifer, newly appointed adviser of Master Makarov Dreyar."

"Tch. You don't need to be so polite with them, kid." The old man said with a small wave of his hand, shaking his head in tiredness, his eyes looking at each one of his children and stopping on the scarlet-haired knight with a look that asked for an explanation later which she noticed. "How was your little vacation?"

Gray, Lucy and Ryota exchanged concerned looks between themselves before looking at Erza through the corner of their eyes; the ex-quip user noticed it and the Master and his advisor did as well. Juvia fidgeting with the hem of her skirt and biting her lower lip to stop herself from panicking, she promised them not to talk about it when they were still at the resort.

Erza tried her best to give a soft smile and nod at him, not wanting to explain their little sad adventure in front of the building and every one of their friends. "It was good, Master."

"I see. That's good!" The old man answered with a short nod and smirk, turning around to enter the building and leave his new members get to know the members of the guild that were out of the guild during their joining, Juvia quickly introducing herself –formally-, receiving good impressions from the mages she helped during the ordeal at the tower and promising them to give her best. After that, she withdrew to the inside of the guild and left the mages alone with the other new guy, his eyes looking at everyone but his visor facing the scarlet-haired woman mostly.

She quirked an eyebrow at that; crossing her arms under her chest, she stepped forward to talk with him and end his strange silence. "Welcome to the guild, Ignifer." She said cautiously, extending a hand to shake his with the armored mage nodding and accepting it.

"Thank you." He answered in kind, releasing her hand and turning around to enter the guild, motioning them to follow him inside. "The show is about to start; let's get inside."

"Hey!" Gray and Ryota yelled in annoyance, calling Ignifer's attention to them and Lucy; the girl standing a few steps behind the boys, fruitlessly trying to calm them down. "Aren't you going to talk with us! ?"

He turned around calmly, raising one hand to point a finger at Ryota, "Screwdriver," at Gray, "Ice-lolly," at Lucy, "Bubbly girl," and lastly, at Erza; she narrowed her eyes at him to stop him from giving her a nickname, noticing with certain surprise that he didn't even flinch. "And Titania; let's get inside."

"WHAT! ?" The three insulted mages yelled to him, now Lucy joining them. "What's with those names! ?"

"You don't like them?" He asked in faked hurt, moving a hand under his chin to show a thinking pose before coming up with new names. "Then I'll call you Pinhead, Ice-fish and Whip girl; now, don't make me repeat myself," They saw him add quickly with his voice losing any trace of amusement, a small red aura surrounding him and making the three offended mages shiver in fear. "Let's get inside, Mira-san's show is about to start."

And so, they followed him inside, receiving and returning greetings from their guildmates as they made their way to a table that he reserved for them; after taking a seat next to him and asking for one of the new barmaids for her usual, Erza looked at him and restarted the talk. "Aren't you going to eat?"

"Yes, but not now, Titania." She heard him say quietly, his arms folded over his chest and his head tilting down. "Worry about your strawberry cake and the show, I can eat later."

Erza nodded slowly, taking note that he knew what she ordered even if she didn't mention it to the waitress, before looking at the stage to watch Mira's presentation through to the end, smiling internally when she saw that not a single fight interrupted the song contrary to what always happened. Her head looking around to see several of the most conflicting mages enjoy their time with wary looks sent in Ignifer's direction, the guy still seated in the same position and only moving to clap at the ex-demon's song end.

"It seems you have them under control, Ignifer." She commented with small amazement, leaving her empty plate and fork on the table. "How did you do it?"

"I only showed them what the punishment will be if they make a ruckus during Mira-san's show." He answered calmly, a hand leaving his folded position to tap the hilt of the sword hanging on his waist; she nodded slowly, reminding herself to test his swordsmanship skills later. "The only language they get is 'strength'; I just left clear I'm a better at it."

"Yeah right." A man behind them scoffed at the words; Team Erza recognizing the voice from somewhere and finding no other than Gajeel Redfox glaring at Ignifer's back when they turned to check to whom it belonged. "If that's true, prove it."

"What?" Lucy shrieked in surprise, getting up from her seat, Gray and Ryota doing the same as her, their eyes glaring at Gajeel, the man just shrugging them off and keeping his eyes fixed on the armored mage sitting calmly and giving him his back.

"You must be kidding!" Gray said through clenched teeth, he couldn't believe the guy to be there after what he did.

"Calm down, everyone." Ignifer said standing up and turning halfway to face both sides, a hand going to rest on top of his blade in case things escalated. "Master allowed him to join."

"Like hell!" Ryota yelled to him.

"What kind of joke is this supposed to be! ?" Gray asked to him with his eyes glaring holes on his skull and ignoring Juvia's pleads, who was the one that invited the iron dragon-slayer to the guild.

"They're right," Erza said to the armored mage, standing next to him with her eyes fixed on the brunette. "Juvia is one thing… but this guy was directly the cause for our guild's destruction."

"Master knows that," Ignifer started to explain, ignoring Gajeel's grunt. "He…"

"I think I can explain, my boy," The old man said interrupting him and jumping on top of the table they were using. "He was only acting on Jose's orders back then; it couldn't be helped…" He coughed on his fist and thought about the next thing to say when a waitress walked close to them and he went running behind her. "…and… Good God!"

"Yesterday's enemies are today's friends." Ignifer finished for him, nodding at the words. "As with Juvia-san, we expect you to give him a try."

"Stop screwing around!" Ryota yelled in anger, not listening to his reasoning and stomping his way to the dragon-slayer. "I can't work with a guy like that!"

"Oh, don't worry." Gajeel said coldly to him, matching his glare with his own. "I have no intention of being buddy-buddy with you."

"You could have joined any other guild!"

"I need work; that's all there is to it. One guild is as good as the next." He replied with his arms crossed, staring at the god-slayer with no noticeable emotion. "Not that I ever thought I'd end up working at a nasty little guild like this…" He commented to himself in a low voice that Ryota managed to hear because of their closeness.

"What did you say! ?"

"Gazille-kun always seems so lonely; Juvia couldn't bear to just leave him…" The water mage started to explain to Gray, the guy hearing her words but his glare remaining on Gajeel; the girl realized of the possible meaning of her words and started to explain further in hopes of not losing the ice mage's interest –if he had any-. "I-I mean…! Juvia doesn't like him or anything…!"

"As I was saying, it is the duty of an old man like me to guide young men who have lost their way back onto the right path." Makarov said wisely to the gathered group, returning from his little escapade to stand in between his advisor and the scarlet-haired knight. "He's not a bad guy at heart, you know…" …though… "…at least, I hope not."

"If this is the Master's decision, then I will support it…" Erza answered with clenched fists, her eyes still fixed on the man bickering with Ryota. "…but I think we should at least have someone keep an eye on him for the time being."

"Agreed."

"That would be my job." Ignifer said to them with his hand now clutching the handle of his sword. "I don't want my new home to be destroyed." He moved forward and stepped in between the two bickering guys, unsheathing his sword with a quick movement to slash the air space in between them; calling their attention to him. "Enough. Fighting is not allowed inside the guild."

"Says who! ?" Ryota and Gajeel asked rudely to him, not liking his interruption, closing their fists and throwing a double punch at the advisor's head; the man flying against the bar and crashing hardly on the counter, destroying part of it. All the members started to sweat in fear after seeing the man being smacked on the face when doing his job, already frightened of his normal character they didn't want to see him enraged.

"U-ugh…" Ignifer grunted with his head wobbling, raising a hand to rub off the pain but stopping when he saw something white on his palm and fingers. "What's this...?" He looked at it quizzically, moving his hand down to where it was to see if he could grab more of that, his hand going up again with what seemed to be once a strawberry. "…uh? A strawberry cake?"

Everyone but the three guys involved paled at what they heard, all eyes turning to see the shaking Titania hiding her eyes from view after hearing and seeing where the armored mage fell over. "T-the…" She started with a trembling voice, slowly getting near the advisor to see him get up from his spot and let her witness 'the tragedy'. "…the rest of the strawberry cake…" A tear appeared at the corner of her eye.

'Uh-oh…' Everyone but those three thought, getting away from the next-to-be warzone.

"Damn…" Ignifer said with a small shook of his head, scratching his head in thinking, not noticing that he was getting the frosting all over his helmet. "Would you look at that, lucky us, we have more downstairs…" And he left the place in a hurry, his feet not taking him to the supply room in the basement but to the exit of the guild; several stared at him incredulously, not believing that he left them to suffer her wrath. "Bye!"

"Where are you going?" A voice asked him, stopping him on his tracks with the guild's main door being shut close; the scarlet-haired knight standing in between the exit and him, glaring at Ignifer so coldly that he felt rotted to the ground. "You and those two morons need to be punished."

"M-me?" He asked fearfully with a shaky finger pointing at his helmet. "I had nothing to do with it!"

"It doesn't matter!" She yelled, grabbing his head with one hand and throwing him like a missile in Ryota's and Gajeel's direction, hitting several innocents in the process and starting a fight that escalated to major leagues in a second, Gray exchanging fists with Elfman, and Gajeel, Ryota and Ignifer running away from the scarlet-haired knight that was hot on their heels; Mira looking at the ruckus in front of her with a wide smirk.

"I guess this is no time for a ballad, huh?" She said gazing at the tables, chairs, barrels and people flying from here and there; changing her attire in one second, she now strummed her guitar with a rock and roll rhythm, some random guys appearing behind her to play the rest of the instruments. "Let's rock the house, then!"

"This place hasn't really changed one bit…" Lucy whispered to herself, crouching on the floor to avoid being hit or targeted in the indiscriminate brawl; her face betraying her words when she smiled softly in the end, things now calming down and going to normal. "But then…

Gray and Elfman were smirking to each other and promising to fight again in the future with Juvia admiring the ice mage's sense of honor; a battered Ignifer was kneeling respectfully in front of Erza with his hands presenting a new strawberry cake to appease the woman who was sitting over the unconscious iron god-slayer and iron dragon-slayer, the woman giving a satisfactory nod before smiling amusedly at the scene, a chuckle escaping through Ignifer's helmet. Cana was starting a drinking contest with Macao and Wakaba following her lead, and Mira played a song to accompany the atmosphere, smiling wholeheartedly to her guildmates. "That's what makes it Fairy Tail."

"Why…?" Makarov muttered under his breath with his head down, some mugs and chairs still dominating the air. "Why couldn't they just bottle it for one day…?" He started to shake and Lucy was the first to notice it, or notice him at all. "Those damn brats…" He raised his head in crying, tears cascading from his eyes to the ground. "Tomorrow's the day the reporter comes to collect data on the guild…!"

Lucy perked up her ears at hearing this, staring at the sobbing Master with wide eyes. "Reporter! ?"

"Cut it out, you lowlifes! Clean this place up!"

"O-oi, Master! You don't need to go all giant on us…!"

* * *

_The next day…_

Preparing herself with a new haircut and clothes Lucy tried all the day to call the attention of Jason, Weekly Sorcerer's top reporter, but she failed miserably; the guy focusing mostly on the renowned members of the guild, even Ignifer, Juvia and Gajeel got more attention than her, and they joined the guild a few days ago.

She was first ignored for Erza…

"If it's alright, can I ask you a few questions?" Jason started with his notebook on hand and his pencil scribbling furiously their conversation.

"Go ahead."

"How many armor do you use to ex-quip?"

"More than a hundred."

"COOL!" He cried in amazement. "Which one do you like the most?"

"The bunny suit."

"THE BUNNY SUIT! ?"

"Those ears are cute!" Erza told him serenely, temporarily ex-quipping into the mentioned armor for the reporter's delight.

"COOOOOOOOOOOL!" He yelled to the skies while kneeling in front of the woman, standing up in less than a second to continue. "Favorite food?"

"Cheesecake and soufflé…? I can't pick between them."

"OKAY! Your best fight these past months?"

Erza looked down in thinking, remembering many fights but only one making her smile softly, catching the reporter off-guard. A tower of fire, a scaled scarf, glaring eyes… pink-hair; she shook her head in the end, not wanting to talk about it after what happened a few days ago. "I have one in mind, but I don't want to mention it."

"Aw… that's so not cool." Jason said with some of his excitement lowering.

Then Ignifer…

"Titania, stop talking with that man," The armored mage said stepping close to them, ignoring the look of awe the reporter was giving him and the annoyed scowl in the woman's face. "It'll best if we don't divulge our secrets."

"OH!" Jason immediately got near him, his natural excitement returning, his eyes looking at the armored mage from all the angles and taking a picture or two for later publishing. "You're the new member! Ignifer!"

"W-wha…? How do you know that?"

"Is it true you joined recently?"

"I-It is, but…!"

"I heard you don't strip of your armor, is it true?"

Ignifer casted a look in Erza's direction, the woman feeling his stare over her before he averted his eyes and nodded to the reporter's question. "It is true."

"And you don't even show your face?"

"T-that's right."

"COOL!" Jason scribbled down what he heard and came up with more questions. "You'll be my hot topic of the week! What's your ability?"

"I'm a magic swordsman."

"OH! There are not many of them these days! How do you feel about it?"

He shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Feeling her curiosity poking her, Lucy leaned close to the ex-quip user to tap her shoulder and call her attention. "U-uh… Erza, what's a magic swordsman?"

"It's a knight with magic capabilities," Erza replied with a thoughtful expression, inspecting Ignifer's appearance and his reactions to Jason's questions, after she felt his eyes on her she was more focused in the guy. "They use their magic to augment their physical aptitudes, gaining more strength, speed, endurance and reflexes. Most of them used to serve the royal houses of several countries, but they started to lose numbers when some of them tried to overthrow their masters; some kingdoms ordering their populations to hunt them down."

"I-I see…"

"But Fiore has no such rule against them that must be his reason of being here."

Back to the interview, Jason continued to ask questions to Ignifer; even if they had no point in them. "Why did you join Fairy Tail?"

"I…" He thought about his next words carefully, glancing at the three people standing in front of him. "I was looking for a purpose; Master Makarov gave me one by appointing me as his advisor."

"See?" Erza said to Lucy, the celestial mage nodding slowly when thinking over his words. His kin was running away from the other countries so he came to Fiore in search of someone to serve and protect, Makarov being the one to give him what he wanted. Though, his reason was not that one.

"Alright, alright, do you have a reason for not taking off your armor?"

Another glance threw at the scarlet-haired woman. "I do."

"COOL! Are you hiding from someone?"

"You could say that."

"An old enemy? Archrival? Nemesis?"

"No."

"Then…? From who?"

"..." He stopped to think about his answer, casting one final look in the ex-quip user's direction before walking away from the place and heading to the second floor, leaving Lucy, Erza and Jason stunned with his answer. "My heart."

"SO COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" Jason screamed to the heavens, looking to a side, he spotted Lucy, and beyond… "It's Gray!" He ran towards the ice mage, knocking Lucy out of his way. "The real Gray is over there!"

"Huh?" The brunette grunted, looking at the reporter heading in his direction. "Who are you?"

"Remember what the Master said yesterday?" Juvia said with her eyes following Jason's approach. "It's the reporter from the magazine."

"It can't be that you're Juvia! ? COOL!" He turned to the ice mage first, preparing his notepad. "Why do you always undress?"

"I don't!" Gray yelled in annoyance of the constant question, stomping one foot on the table he was sharing with the ex-Phantom Lord mage, his pants already missing. "Don't call me a pervert!"

"Gray-sama! Your underwear is…!"

Elfman followed…

"Elfman! COOL!" He jumped happily in his direction, ignoring Lucy's new attempt to call his attention. "What is manly to you?"

"Being a man."

"COOOOOOOL!"

"How can such a lame conversation turn out to be more important than my existence! ?" Lucy yelled from the background.

Cana…

"Cana! I must take a picture of you this time!"

"Good! Sit down and drink with me!"

Team Shadow Gear…

"The Shadow Gear, is it true that you have a triangle relationship?"

"NO COMMENTS!" Jet and Droy screamed embarrassedly in answer while Levy looked at the reporter quizzically.

Makarov…

"Guild Master! A new guild ambition, please!"

"Let's see…" The old man was dressed in his best attire for the occasion, though; he was shaking all over when giving his answer. "To let love and justice fill in people's mind."

"Sounds like a lie!" Lucy yelled, yet again, from the background. Going to change her clothes to a bunny suit like Erza's that called the attention of many male members of the guild, she went to stage and told them she was going to sing a song, but Gajeel appeared next to her; sitting on a chair with a guitar on top of his lap and wearing a white tux, a hat and tinted glasses, his strumming sounding good to everyone, except for the lyrics –they didn't match the sound-, making several members pale at the poor performance. He continued nonetheless, glaring at the blonde girl to dance at his rhythm while some threw things to stop him from singing, Jason scribbling on his notepad all the happenings with his usual enthusiasm.

"What did you mean by 'my heart'?" Erza asked the Master's advisor, going to the second floor, she found him leaning on the railing with his arms crossed and his eyes looking at the guild attentively, he only spare a glance in her approaching figure; well, his visor showed her that. She leaned on the railing, next to him, her eyes still fixed on him to see if he reacted in any way that resulted suspicious. If he was keeping an eye on Gajeel, she was keeping an eye on him.

"…" He looked up in thinking, shaking his head after a moment. "I don't see the point in telling you."

"I want to know, that's all there's to it." She said pushing the matter.

"I'm hiding from my heart." He repeated with his head hitting the railing softly. "I don't know what's difficult in that."

"You didn't say what or who was _your heart_." She responded, thinking of his words; _his heart_, it was something that caused him pain, or someone that caused him pain. She understood the hidden meaning of the two words without too much trouble.

"It's someone." He said with his distorted voice sounding regretful, his visor looking opposite to the Titania. "I don't want to face someone."

"I see." She said with a short nod. "I… I had the same trouble as you."

He turned his head quickly to look at her, seeing the sad expression on her face, he nodded slowly to make her continue.

"I… I had two people that I didn't want to see," She said biting her lower lip to stop herself from stuttering, her hair covering her eyes from him. "Two people I loved and hated, but… when I faced them, when I confronted them, I ended up losing them." Still, he managed to get see her eyes, discovering her brown orbs that had a distant look in them. "I regret everything that I did when I had them with me, thinking of better ways when the past is the past and my imagination cannot do more than show me what I wish…"

"Ah, the same happens to me," Ignifer said with a hand going to support his head by his cheek, the other covering the front of his helmet; his body trembling slightly at the memory he was replaying inside his head. "I cannot face… her… she… I caused her a lot of pain; I cannot bear her eyes looking at my face."

Gazing at him through the corner of her eyes, Erza gave a small sympathetic nod, a hand going to pat his shoulder. "That's… that's why you don't take your helmet off, right?" Resting her hand on him, she looked at the cheerful faces of her friends. "That too, is why I don't want to take off my armor anymore, the pain… I feel… vulnerable." She confessed to him, something inside telling her that his suffering was true and like hers, thus easing the words of her heart to come out.

"I… I understand." He muttered sadly, straightening his position and going downstairs to stop the fight that ensued Gajeel's performance, Ryota fighting the dragon-slayer with the reporter being hit for standing to close to the fight. "I'm… sorry… to cut our talk like this, but my duty is clear, Titania."

"My name is Erza, Ignifer; you don't have to call me like that." She said with a small smile, the guy stopping half way to look over his shoulder.

"Whatever you say," He muttered quietly, waving a hand in dismissal, continuing his way downstairs. "I'll still call you 'Titania'"

Her frown deepened at his words, she thought she grew a little closer to him with the talk but he still shrugged her efforts to know him better. If she was stubborn to befriend anyone when she still had the tower to worry about, then he was as stubborn as her, with his reasons weighing over his shoulders. 'You don't need to hide from us… Ignifer.'

* * *

_Two days later…_

"Ah, and the old man's advisor appears!" A tall blond man with a scar on his right eye said to the approaching figure, his eyes following its armored form step forward into the cathedral with a cloaked man walking close behind. "And Mystogan too! Hahaha! The battle of the strongest will be one to remember!"

"Deactivate the hall of thunder immediately, Laxus, and you may still be able to pass this off as a mere addition to the festivities." The cloaked figure covered in bandages called Mystogan said with a hand clutching one of his staffs tightly, the armored man next to him nodding firmly at his words.

"This is my lucky day!" Laxus yelled to no one in particular, ignoring the cloaked man's words and smirking in the two guys' direction. "I'm sure you two know, right? The rumors are flying left and right…" He started to tell them, calling forth his magic to fight off Mystogan's and the armored mage's ones inside the hall of the cathedral, dust swirling around them. "About who's the strongest in Fairy Tail. Most people think is one of us…"

"That's wrong," The armored figure said with its voice coming out of the helmet in a distorted way, a hand moving to unsheathe a single-edged, curved blade hanging around its waist and the other withdrawing a shield from its back, the center of the triangular shaped piece of metal showing the Fairy Tail crest. "There's Gildartz to count in."

"True, and even if I have little interest in such things, I'd propose Erza and Ryota too." Mystogun added to the conversation, shaking his head when realizing than that was the blond's reason to start the battle of Fairy Tail, demand the title of Master and threaten the town with the thunder palace.

"Ha! He's no use… He ain't coming back, Ignifer!" The blond replied to the armored mage now known as Ignifer, some of his magic leaking out enough to make some lightning run over his body. "Erza's showing a lot of promise, and all, but she's still weak… and don't get me started with Ryota…"

"Erza?" Both guys in front of him asked in mild disbelief. "Weak? You must be as good as blind…"

"Look, you two, I'm giving you a compliment." He said amusedly, feeling a bit annoyed of their monotone voices. "Right now, the strongest member of Fairy Tail is one of us three!"

"It's sad." Ignifer said clutching his sword and shield tightly, Laxus looking at him in wonder. "About what Master said, I didn't believe him when he told me of your stupidity."

"What?" Laxus snapped with glaring eyes, his anger rising at the insult.

"Yes, is that really all you have eyes for...?" Mystogun added with his eyes fixed on the angering blond, feeling the magic pressure going up. "And you claim you're the lucky one…"

"Let's settle this once and for all!" Laxus said in between clenched teeth, grinning forcefully to the two guys. "With the title of 'strongest' at stake!"

Both mages readied themselves, knowing that the talk was over…

"So, shall we begin?" Laxus said with small cackle, the movements of his mouth giving away what he was going to say and surprising Mystogun and the armored mage. "Ignifer and Mystogun… or should I say… the pair of…"

"SHUT UP!" Ignifer yelled in a hustle, lunging forward at great speed to ram the blond man with his shield and throw him against one of the pillars; Mystogan's attack following close behind, both strikes hitting Laxus and destroying the column on which he clashed. All the windows of the great hall shattering in hundreds of pieces when the magic pressures escalated to levels they couldn't stand, the dust from the attacks escaping in gusts through every exit it found and calling the attention of those other wizards searching for Makarov's grandson.

* * *

"The church!" Ryota yelled after feeling the rise in magic and the sounds of fighting coming from inside the huge building in the middle of the town.

* * *

"Caldia Cathedral?" Erza muttered with some surprise, narrowing her eyes at the gusts of dust heading in her direction, she was closer to the place than the rest of her friends so she wasted no time in heading to the sacred place.

* * *

"Where did he learn of that?" Mystogan whispered to himself, walking close to the armored mage waiting for the dust cloud to disperse, both guys raising their heads in surprise when a lightning erupted from inside of it and moved upwards to the ceiling before striking the ground in front of the great organ standing over the wall opposite to the entrance of the building.

"I don't know." Ignifer said quietly in reply, having heard what he whispered, his visor facing the lightning now taking the form of the blond man and missing the Mystogan's surprised eyes. "But he knows too much."

"Oh? You two seem curious as to how I know your dirty little secrets…" Laxus said with a taunting voice, taking off his jacket as it was only shredders hanging from his shoulders. "Maybe I'll tell you if you beat me."

"You'll regret this, Laxus." Ignifer said getting ready, his shield at the front and his sword behind, his legs bending a bit and leaning back in preparation of a strike.

"You still have time, Laxus, surrender or you'll be witness of a form of magic you have never seen before." Mystogan said seriously, rising one of his staffs in a horizontal position, his eyes glaring through the small space in between his bandana and mask.

"Bring it!" Laxus growled to them through clenched teeth, already losing his patience, wanting to show them and everyone else in the world that he was strongest wizard alive. "I'll show you two just where you stand!"

"Ignifer," Mystogan said calmly walking to the front. "Let me strike first." He requested with his hands grabbing each one of the staffs on his back and setting them in formation behind him, the armored mage nodding to him and moving a few steps away, their attention on the blond man glaring at them. "Matenrou." He called the spell's name, the last staff remaining in his hand and in front of him, touching the floor and raising the magic pressure around him.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Laxus started to move in waves as if he was standing on top of a moving beast, beams of light erupting from the floor and destroying the cathedral while he was lifted to heights that no one before reached. His green eyes noting with shock how the entire building and the building around it were destroyed. "Wha…! ? Impossible! The church!"

And he continued to ascend, his eyes now focusing on the darkness of the sky above and the large gash opening in the middle, a humongous reptilian creature coming out of it and extending a hand to reach him, belts appearing out of nowhere to immobilize him and prevent him from escaping. "What kind of magic is this! ?" Though, when he realized the truth behind the spell, everything shattered, "Hahaha! What a load of crap!" his body still standing where it originally was inside the intact cathedral and its surroundings; his wicked laugh echoing inside the building as his eyes looked down on Mystogan's first true strike. "You thought some stupid illusion would be enough to deal with me, Mystogan! ?"

"No." He simply answered, he was surprised for the failure of his illusion but he still managed to smile under the mask he was wearing, watching the blond stare at him in confusion until he felt a burning sensation over his chest. "But that certainly worked."

"Y-you…!" Laxus said moving a hand to hold his chest, flinching in pain when he realized that Ignifer took the distraction to attack him when he least expected him, slashing his chest with his sword and stopping behind the lightning mage; rising his shield and sword to prepare himself against the obvious retaliation. The blond glared over his shoulder, burning holes in the advisor's helmet before smirking and letting out his previous laughter again. "I didn't take you as someone so coward, Ignifer…!"

"You're an enemy; we have to deal with you as such." The armored mage said with his monotonic-distorted voice, not losing sight of the opponent. "And I was buying time."

"Yes, Laxus, you noticed too late." Mystogan continued with his voice calling the blond's attention, the gusts of wind picking up their pace again. "You are already within my next technique." Laxus looked up after seeing the dust surrounding him in a perfect circle, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw 5 different magic seals with runes hovering above him. "Sleep! Five Layered Magic Circle, Mikagura!"

"Now… which one of us is it that 'hasn't noticed', hum? Both fighters looked at him quizzically, their faces darting to the ground when they saw a light emanating from the flagstones of the floor, both being lifted from the ground and suffering a lightning strike while Laxus received the full force of the cloaked man's spell with his laughter echoing inside the great hall again.

When the spells subsided and the clouds of dust rose again because of the attacks, the three restarted their fight the second they had a visual of their opponents, Mystogan making some hand signs to capture Laxus with the molding ground below and let the armored mage get a clear strike but it failed the moment the blond used his lightning form again. "He got away! ?" The cloaked man asked in disbelief, following with his eyes the elemental form of Laxus going up a column with Ignifer close on his heels.

"You're annoying!" The blond man yelled after trying to shake off his pursuer, changing his direction quickly to hit him with the brunt force of his lightning form. "Suffer!"

"I don't think so." The armored mage said calmly, stabbing his sword on the pillar, a magic seal appearing on contact and making his figure disappear in a flurry of flames seconds before being electrocuted, reappearing next to Mystogan with the same fire around him dispelling; both him and the cloaked man watching the blond man come out of his elemental form a few meters away from them.

"Tch… not half bad, are ya." Laxus scoffed to them, crossing his arms to think of a way to defeat them.

"Surrender, Laxus, we are four, and you only one." Ignifer said with a tone of finality, not wanting to drag the fight further as he knew he and his partner couldn't see one of the mages about to appear at any second as it would only distract them.

"What?" Laxus asked with some confusion. "Did I hit you too hard, canned coward?" He said with a small chuckle that stopped when two voices resounded from the entrance, making the fighters look at the source of the sound and discover the new arrivals. Erza and Ryota were there, both surprised to see each other and the two quietest members of the guild inside the cathedral. "Oh? Would you look at that…"

"Uh? W-who are they…?" Ryota asked with some surprise, his mind already forgetting the names of the two mages standing in front of him.

"Mystogan… and the Master's advisor, Ignifer…" Erza clarified for him, she too was surprised to see the two of them in there, even more, she was surprised to see that they were both against Laxus and the blond man was still standing in his two feet. Mystogan froze when he heard and saw the red-haired, along his partner, who continued to gaze at her while the cloaked man tried to cover his eyes; the lightning mage though, took the chance before him.

"You're wide open!" He screamed in victory, hitting them both with an attack on their heads, startling and making them lose their footing, but also calling their attention back to the business at hand, glaring at the blond with all their hatred… if not because…

"Gerard…? Natsu…?" Erza asked completely in shock, her eyes seeing Mystogan's mask disintegrate and Ignifer's helmet crack to pieces, revealing their faces to the people inside the cathedral and making her think she was imagining things. A tear strolled down her left eye at the sight of the two scowling men, their gazes softening when they met eyes with her. "You're… you're both alive…"

"You guys…!" Ryota yelled in disbelief, remembering the night when he saw them die at the explosion caused because of the unstable etherion; the tower of paradise crumbling to the ground in a pyre of fire that left no hope for those inside when he left Erza on the beach at the care of his friends and he turned to look at the place of nightmares.

"Oh? Familiar faces?" Laxus whispered with a small smirk, liking the show he was watching, he remembered them to be members of the Council that betrayed the organization weeks ago; he didn't expect Erza to know them, or at least, know the azure-haired man.

"Wh-what's going on! ?" Ryota cried out loud in confusion, his mind not understanding how they could be alive and being members of the guild after what happened. "Mystogan is Gerard! ? And Ignifer is Natsu! ?"

"Shit…" Natsu started the talk to cut the awkward silence, looking down with a hand rubbing the back of his head with an annoyed expression. "I didn't want to reveal myself… yet."

"Y-yet…?"

"Erza… I wanted you, at least…" Gerard continued with a down casted expression, unable to face her. "To not see this face…"

"W-what?"

"I'm not Gerard," He said casting a quick look in her direction, averting his eyes when he saw the tears at the corner of her eyes. "I know him… but he's not me." He turned to walk away, his body transforming into mist and disappearing from the place, a weak smile sent in Natsu's direction in gratitude for the help in the past fight. "I'm sorry. I leave the rest to you."

"Hey!" The pink-haired yelled with an irritated expression, he wished to leave the place too, he didn't want to face the woman standing a few feet away from him… and that was looking at him right now with her disbelieving face and shaking body at the sight. 'Oh, shit…' He cleared his throat coughing a few times before waving a hand in her direction with an uncomfortable smile, he know had to explain why he pretended to be death and didn't tell her that he was alive all-along. "U-uh… How…? How are you?"

Catching the hint that she was still too bewildered to do anything, Ryota cracked his knuckles and lunged towards Laxus, using his strongest attack to call his attention away from the other two, and block a lightning that might have struck the woman off-guard in her most vulnerable state. "Hey, blondie! Looking for a fight?"

"N-natsu…" Erza whispered taking a step forward, her mind and senses ignoring the battle taking place close to her, only focusing on the man standing in front of her. "You're Natsu… right?" She asked fearfully, expecting to hear an answer like the one she received from the other man that left; the pink-haired shook his head with his eyes closed, looking down at the floor with a frown.

"Yes, it is me." He whispered sadly, raising his head quickly and moving a hand to cover his face while she continued to take small steps towards him. 'I'd love to hang around… but it is too soon.' A magic seal surrounded his head and his helmet was back in place, his voice sounding distorted and monotonic once again, he sheathed his sword and put his shield on his back. "I… I'm sorry, but I cannot talk right now, Titania, I'll meet you later."

"W-what?" She asked snapping out of her dazed state, watching wide eyed how he was surrounded by flames and disappeared from the place in a similar fashion to Mystogan's. "Natsu!" She lunged forward with a hand extended, trying to grab a hold of him and stop him, but she only got remnants of his flames that flickered away from her palm and fingers after a few seconds; she looked at them float in the air in front of her, turning off one by one with her eyes half-lidding in sadness. "Idiot…"

"Erza!" Ryota yelled after dogging a roundhouse kick from Laxus, his eyes focused on the knight while he backed away from the blonde. "The hall of thunder is activated! We need to stop, ugh!" He received a lightning shock from a smirking Laxus, the red-haired finally snapping of her trance to look at the battle, watching the brunette flying against the top of the huge doors of the cathedral with a punch to his chin.

"Ryota!" She moved to help the falling man but he raised a hand to stop her, a finger pointing outside.

"I-I'll deal with him! Go and destroy those lacrimas!"

**To be continued.**

* * *

**I only want to say that there's a reason to this, I just hope you enjoyed the chapter.  
**

**Next time, the end of the Fighting Festival arc and a reminiscence of the Tower of Paradise arc.  
**

**Thoughts please?  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	9. Burning heaven

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 8: Burning heaven.**

He got up from the ground and dashed towards the blond man again, Laxus' face showing nothing but boredom.

"You know? I'm getting pretty damn sick of those head-on charges of yours." He stepped aside of the charge and elbowed the god-slayer with a lightning engulfed arm on the back, the man gasping at the force of the attack and dropping on the ground strongly. "Out of my face, trash!"

"T-trash…" Ryota whispered weakly, smirking at the poor insult. "Would a 'trash' like me be able to do this?" He turned his arm into a chain sword, slashing at the blond's legs, the man only jumping and landing hardly on the brunette's back earning a gasp of pain from him; the floor cracking under his body.

"Laxus!" Erza yelled from the side, her armor changed to the Black Wing armor and lunging from the heights to slash the blond, Laxus merely gazing at her approaching form with a mad smirk and his feet moving off the fallen iron god-slayer. 'I have to put them out of my mind for the moment.' She narrowed her eyes, gripping tightly the sword on her hand. 'Right now. Laxus takes priority.' She slashed at his right shoulder, he sidestepped, she slashed at his chest and he jumped back, avoiding each one of her strikes with ease; Ryota taking the chance to recover and stand up again.

"Erza!" He yelled to her, his arms transforming into swords that spun madly and gave out a sound alike to that of drill. He jumped forward, pushing the knight out of his way and dropping both his sword-arms on Laxus, the blond turning into his lightning form to avoid the attack. Ryota took the chance to speak to Erza again, his glaring eyes taking her aback. "I'm your senior, do as I say and destroy those lacrimas floating in the sky!"

"Sorry to cut your talk, but…" Laxus appeared in front of the brunette, a hand raised at waist level with a ball of lightning that he used to struck Ryota on the face, sending him against one of the pillars before the surprised Titania. "…two minutes to go."

"W-wha…! ?" Erza said incredulously, looking at the runes showing the time remaining for the hall of thunder to activate, dodging a set of kicks from the blond, she jumped away when Ryota came back to deal with him; exchanging a pair of nods, Erza turned and ran outside, her body engulfing in light before she appeared in her Heaven's Wheel armor.

'What are you up to now?' Ignifer thought curiously, he was sitting at the top of the cathedral watching everything happening around him, gazing over his shoulder to see Mystogan walking to stand next to him, a new mask and bandana hiding his face. "Coming to see the show?"

"No, I'm here to talk with you." He said with a short shook of head, sitting cross-legged behind the armored mage, both staring at the scarlet knight using all of her power to summon enough swords to destroy the lacrimas around the town. "How did you know my identity?"

"You smell like him," The adviser explained with a shrug. "But you don't have any magic power and your aura is different."

"You saw through that, huh?" He looked up in thinking. "Still, why didn't you say something the first time we met?"

Another shrug, this time accompanied by long sigh.

"Don't you remember?" Ignifer asked him puzzled. "I was in the bad guy's side."

"Ah." Mystogan now understood why.

The day he meet the council member for the first time was something his left arm remembered fondly.

* * *

_Flashback…_

_Two months earlier…_

Lullaby was defeated, the guild masters were safe and the flute was sent to the Council in Era –Luminer's doing-. The sage received some praises for his assistance, Team Erza –as the woman itself baptized- was also complimented for their efforts and the matter was sealed with the Rune Knights arrival to arrest the mages from Eisenwald. Transporting all of them to prison, except for Erigor, the man disappeared from the railway and the bindings put on him by Ryota were found broken.

Luminer shrugged the worries of the masters about the dark wizard, saying that the Council will dispatch a group to find him and take him to jail as soon as he returns to Headquarters. He bid farewell, thanked Erza for the two weeks of fun time he had away from work and went with his people, but he was surprised to hear from the captain of the Rune Knights that she was to be taken as well to be trialed over the destruction caused in Onibus, Oshibana and Clover.

When asking who sent the order, Luminer was surprised to hear it was Siegrain the one to demand the imprisonment of the ex-quip user. He remained quiet about the person but he told Erza the rest, surprising everyone present and making the ones that praised him start to complain about the Council and their rules; Luminer grimaced at the change of atmosphere but kept himself composed anyway, promising Master Makarov to keep watch over the knight and ensure her safety, much to the Fairies surprise.

They travelled to Era; Luminer met with the other sages and later separated Siegrain and Ultear to talk about the issue, receiving a small chuckle from the woman and a stern look from his long-time friend.

"She caused all of this, in the Council's eyes she's to be punished for it." Siegrain told his pink-haired associate, not a hint of joke in his words.

"Oi oi, since when do we respect these rules?" Luminer asked clearly puzzled about his friend's decision.

"Since you got more involved with people outside our little group." Siegrain replied with the same steel, his speech directed at the pink-haired and his recent activities outside Era. Though, Ultear sensed that when the azure-haired said 'people from outside' he was referring only to the Titania. "If we don't play along, someone will find out about our ruse."

"Yeah, right." Ultear countered with a roll of her eyes, smirking when the azure-haired man glared at her.

"Cannot we give her a slap in the wrist and let her go?" The pink-haired tried to negotiate with his friends; he promised to Erza's friends and Master that he was going to look after her.

"No, that'll give room for another incident like this one to happen." Siegrain said with a tone of finality, not wanting to discuss any further.

"Even so, I don't get it." Luminer frowned and left the room, going to talk with the Titania about her situation; he couldn't get it, why would they punish her for something like this? She did a good thing in the end and –off the record- they were the ones that started the Lullaby incident… well, Gerard did.

Ultear snickered at her boss' reaction; he was not pleased with Natsu's new friendship with the woman that was to be a trouble in his plans. "Why do you trouble yourself so much? I told you a hundred times already, talk with him and deal is over, if you keep on like this… he might seriously betray you, you know that Natsu doesn't like to be pressured."

"I know, of course I know!" Siegrain shouted angrily, clenching his fists tightly. "But it is hard to see this! My friend with the enemy and not listening to my words! What should I do, huh? Tell him something like, 'oh, Natsu, is okay, go and have fun!'?" He snorted sarcastically, shaking his head in dry amusement. "I can't do that; the plan will fail if he spends more time with them… especially with her!"

"Oh, and you say you're not jealous." Ultear mused with a sigh, rubbing her forehead from the pain she was getting. "Tell him who the Titania is and he won't get near her again."

"I won't, if I do so, he'll return to the tower, yes, but he'll ask the others about her…"

"And you think they'll say good things about her?" He shook his head uncertainly. "Then what?"

"I trust Wally, Millianna and Sho… but Simon… he was never loyal to our plan, and he might fill Natsu's mind with lies."

"That might be right…" The black-haired beauty agreed to that logic. "But he'll learn of it sooner or later, the better if it's you the one that tells him." Ultear added, stretching a bit before going out the room to the court where everyone else was waiting. "Think about it."

Siegrain thought hard about the advice but disregarded it, believing his course of action to be the best. He met the others in the court room and smirked darkly at the woman that was causing him trouble when their eyes connected, she glowered at him with intensity, a hateful look that subsided when Luminer appeared in the room with a confident smile; he nodded in the woman's direction and went to his seat, letting the trial begin.

After two heated hours of discussion and a night in jail, they were both back in Magnolia, much to Erza's chagrin. She was grateful, indeed, but she thought that after that fiasco in Era she and the sage were going to take separate ways.

Unfortunately, for her, that was not the case.

"You should thank me, Titania." Luminer repeated for the umpteenth time that day, walking side-by-side through the streets of Magnolia with the clearly annoyed red-head. "You were about to be sentenced for a month and I lower it to a day, that's good."

"It is and I don't say I'm not grateful, but why…" And Erza repeated with visible irritation. "Just why did you have to spend the night in the same cell with me?!" Not that she was mad for it, but he just couldn't keep himself from sending weird vibes to her, like an old pervert to a young girl. "I barely had any sleep because of you!"

"Oh, that." Luminer put a finger to his chin in thinking. "It was because I took part of the blame, old man Org was fuming but Ultear, Michello and Yajima backed me up." He waved a hand in dismissal, laughing internally for his accomplishment during the night; he was still able to freak her out with his perverted act. "In short, I go to jail with you and you only stay for one night. Pretty awesome, now, where's my 'thank you' and kiss of gratitude?" He grinned suggestively to her, pushing his lips forward comically.

"You…!" She blushed furiously; clenching her fists tightly, she set a pursuit to the guild with a burning desire to kill him if given the chance. "Luminer…!"

"Oh, look! They are back." Lucy told her team partners with a small smile, Gray and Ryota looking up from their boredom to see the sage and the knight going at it again. The blonde sweatdropped when Max went to salute them and got fisted for standing too close, Luminer just laughing louder while Erza felt her anger boiling stronger. "U-uh… shouldn't we… you know, stop them or something?"

"I value my life." Both guys said to her, resuming their previous positions on the table, waiting for the storm to pass.

"Erza." Makarov voice boomed inside the hall, silencing everyone and stopping the two fighting mages. "Luminer, come here, I need to have a word with both of you."

They got near the old man who was sitting on top of the bar counter, nodding in gratitude to the pink-haired for keeping his promise, he coughed on his fist and started to tell them what the Council did while they were away; seems like they came to interview those involved in the incident to know if the Titania was truly free of any fault, and when the Master questioned them who sent the order… "…they told me that the wizard-saint, Siegrain, was the one to send them."

"What?!" Erza asked in disbelief, her eyes burning in anger.

"Ah, it's not surprising," Luminer commented with a shook of head, looking at the ground with narrowed eyes. "He was the one that sent the Rune Knights to Clover and ordered her arrest in the first place." Erza looked at him in shock, having not heard that part of the story. "I asked him about it, he believes she was to blame for the mindless destruction."

Makarov looked at him with a frown, sensing the knight's anger rising as well as the sage's inner conflict; Erza hated the guy for looking like the one that vanish her from the Tower of Heaven 8 years prior and for what he knew of Luminer, Siegrain and him were close friends in the Council, and surely, this dispute put them both in a tight spot. "And what did you do?"

"I explained that I was also to blame, part of the destruction was caused because of me, and I didn't stop your guild members from causing theirs." Luminer explained with a strong nod, his eyes meeting the Master's again. "They wanted her in jail for a month…"

'A month?!' Was everyone's internal question, not believing the Council to be so harsh.

"…but I told them my part of the story, and offered myself to be thrown in jail as well." He finished with a grin, satisfied with his solution; failing to notice the flabbergasted expressions around him. "They relented for a good amount of time but, eventually, my offer was accepted… and we only spent one day in prison."

'H-he… offered himself…?' Erza repeated the words in her head, trying to check if she heard wrong or if he truly said what he said. She felt some warmth on her face that Mirajane –behind the bar- noticed with a small chuckle.

"W-wait…!"

"H-he and Erza?!"

"O-one night?! A-alone in a cell…?!"

Erza felt her embarrassment returning after hearing the loud shouts from her guild mates, and Luminer's and Makarov's growing grins did nothing to subdue it.

"Oh? Did you two have a nice time?" Makarov asked with a lecherous smile that sent the shivers on every single woman inside the guild. Luminer gave a wink with the eye the Titania couldn't see and gave a lecherous grin of his own.

"I didn't have a moment to rest most of the night." He said nonchalantly, it was true but not in 'that' way, though that sentence was enough to send Erza ablaze in embarrassment; everyone in the guild gaping in shock at the words.

"E-erza…?!"

"Really…?!"

"I'm having a nightmare! Someone wake me up, please!"

"SHUT UP, YOU FOOLS!" The Titania bellowed with a face bright as the sun, turning on her heels to pummel some sense into her stupid friends, screams of agony and pain echoing from every offender inside the small hall. Makarov chuckled at her outburst with Mirajane following his example, finding amusing the situation before them, Luminer just smiled sincerely at the scene… it was… such a long time since he had fun like this.

At noticing this change, Makarov and Mira stared at the sight with wide eyes, not having seeing this side of him before. He was following the one causing the path of destruction with sparkling eyes, not missing a single movement, even if she was beating the crap out of them mercilessly she didn't lack grace in her strides and strikes.

His two spectators thought about it, exchanging looks of wonder before reaching the same conclusion…

…he was…

"I never saw her so frustrated."

Ryota commented to the two people hiding with him behind a table, Lucy and Gray nodding repeatedly in answer, agreeing with him.

But Lucy's eyes diverted from the sight of the fighting Titania to the one that caused all the trouble, blushing madly when she spotted the sage near the bar. 'He's the fifth on the top ten bachelors' list for a reason, Lucy!'

"Uh? What wrong, Lucy?" Gray asked her in worry, noticing her reddening face, he turned to see at what she was looking and couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. "W-wow… he… h-he looks… normal."

Ryota threw a glance at Luminer, looking at his expression with slightly quirked eyebrows, shrugging the matter for another time; keep on living was more important than a guy with a crush.

"YOU!" Erza stopped over the defeated bodies of the guild members, pointing a really sharp blade at the still gazing Luminer, not noticing his mesmerized expression. "This is your fault!"

"U-uh? Ah, yeah, what about it?" The pink-haired asked after coming out of his dazed state, grinning at the scarlet-haired woman with his usual mask on. He will ponder about what happened later, he had to be alive to do so.

She was going to tell him why and show him why he shouldn't mess with her like that when she started to feel sleepy, as the other members inside the guild, all of them falling in sweet unconsciousness except for Makarov and Luminer that only felt a little drowsy.

"Mystogan…" Makarov muttered under his breath, watching silently at the approaching figure with Luminer stepping back to rest his elbows over the counter, his head wobbling but his eyes open; following the cloaked figure walking calmly to the request board to grab one that paid 1 million jewels that he later presented to the Master, his eyes looking sideways to see the pink-haired staring at him. "He's…"

"Luminer Dragneel, I know." He laid the request in front of the old man, showing the job he was going to take; Makarov nodded, demanded for the spell he put on the guild to end and bid him farewell, Mystogan turning to leave the place but stopping when feeling something grabbing him by the wrist of his left arm. Looking back, he saw the pink-haired glaring at him with half-lidded eyes, his arm outstretched and his hand gripping his wrist tightly. "What?"

"Y-you… impostor..." Was all the sage said, setting the hand stopping Mystogan on fire and burning the mage's arm with the flames of his dragon-slayer magic, surprising the two Fairies.

But then, he stopped and fell to the floor with a loud thud, leaving the Master and his reclusive S-class mage staring at him in wonder… he fell asleep as well, though, Mystogan's eyes were wide in shock, his mind and heart racing.

'He… did he notice?!' He shook his head and left the place when he realized that the 5 seconds left for the spell were running out, the corner of his eyes catching glimpses of his guildmates waking up.

As for Makarov, he wasn't startled by what happened; he knew what was hidden behind Mystogan's mask, so it was easy to tell why the sage called him 'an impostor'. And Luminer, even if not much was known about him, he heard from Yajima that the man was the user of a really ancient and powerful magic that increases his body's capabilities and senses.

Simply put, he saw right through Mystogan's disguise… and he didn't like what he saw.

_Flashback ends…_

* * *

_Present time..._

"My arm still itches from the burns." Mystogan informed the armored mage with his other hand scratching the wrist that Ignifer –as Luminer- burned that day.

"I apologize, I… would have never imagined that Mystogan of Fairy Tail was a second Gerard." The armored mage chuckled at the memory, lowering his head a moment when remembering what happened to 'the first one', his chest hurting with grief. He raised his head suddenly, sensing the man behind him doing the same, both looking in the direction of the Titania to see her on one knee with her magic reserves running low; there were close to 200. "Titania."

"Go, help her, I cannot show myself again." Mystogan told him hurriedly, both him and Ignifer feeling Warren's telepathy connecting their minds to the others, hearing the talk going on between the members of Fairy Tail.

"Hey! Can you hear me?!" Warren shouted through his mind link to all the mages of the guild scattered around the town. "It's an emergency! Look at the sky!"

"I see." Ignifer whispered after hearing the conversation going between the mages with a hidden smile, feeling the same determination as everyone else when they agreed to put aside their differences in favor of stopping the thunder palace. "This place… I don't regret joining them."

"Neither do I, but my part is over." He felt a hand on his shoulder and looking over it, he saw Mystogan smiling at him without his mask, a far cry from the friend he lost at the tower. "Help them. After that, we might have a time to talk… I might not be the Gerard you know, but I can at least…"

"Don't worry, we'll talk." He took his helmet off, showing a smile of his own, setting the other man at ease before he disappeared in flurry of flames and the other in a cloud of mist. When he reappeared, he was standing in front of Erza, looking at her with an apologetic smile. "Hi there! I told you I'll meet you later, right?"

"Natsu!" Erza blurted out in shock, her words being heard by everyone in the mind link; but ignoring Gray's and Lucy's questions about what she meant with that name they remembered well, the Titania concentrated on the man before her, not wanting to miss this second chance. "W-why are you…?"

"There is something I need to tell you…" He said with his face turning serious, piercing the woman's eyes with his own, a trickle of sweat falling from Erza's brow to her chin in anticipation. "But now it's not a good moment… why don't we end this and talk about it later?" He asked her with his smile returning, laying his hands on her shoulders, pouring magic energy inside of her much to her surprise. "It's time I start paying for my mistakes."

"…" Erza thought about what he said and his actions, staring at the onyx orbs he possesses with her brown ones, discerning the flame in him that told her he was the guy she believed dead a week ago and his resolve to help her in whatever way he could. She nodded with a smile and a small blush, those being the answers he was expecting and that he received with a grateful grin. "What's your plan?"

"Everyone, listen up, Ignifer here." He started to talk, but not to her, and he didn't have his face revealed either, his helmet came back and was distorting his voice to keep his identity hidden. "There's a small change of plans... Titania and I will take care of the lacrimas."

"WHAT?!"

Was the cry that echoed through the mind link, even the woman that was actually part of the plan questioned him what he meant by that. "How do you plan to accomplish that?! There's over 400 lacrimas in the sky!"

"Were you always this loud, Titania?" Ignifer asked with a chuckle, earning another blush from her. "Plan is simple, you fly us to the sky, in the middle of those lacrimas and I'll give you my power to attack all of them at once."

"B-but they have Organic Link Magic on them...!" Erza tried to discuss the matter but she only heard four words from the armored mage to stop any kind of arguing and be done with the things floating in the sky.

"45 seconds left."

"Brace yourself!" Was all she said before flying as high in the sky as she could, her armor's wings doing most of the job while Ignifer concentrated on passing his magic to her by hugging from the waist; the swords she summoned followed them closely, until they came to a halt, they were floating in the middle of the now sparkling lacrimas. "The spell is about to start!"

"Okay, second part starts now!" Natsu said while withdrawing his helmet to look around better, he met eyes with Erza and both nodded; all the time ignoring the desperate cries of their friends to stop and let them help with the task. "Whenever you're ready!"

"I am!" She summoned the rest of her weapons and made a total of 200.

Natsu concentrated his magic on her and made 200 more appear as well, but these ones were different, these ones were made of the same wild flames his Igneel taught him.

Erza watched the sight in awe, and nodding again, Natsu made one last effort and covered her weapons with the same flames, adding more power to them.

She felt it then… the mixing of both powers, that sudden rise in magic pressure, and the warm feeling that only Natsu's magic had radiating out from within her. "T-this power… this feeling…!"

"Yeah, it's unison raid." Natsu answered calmly to her, watching with deep concentration the sudden appearance of his red magic seal with the dragon's head at the center to their left and Erza's dark pink magic seal to the right, both spinning slowly and moving closer to them in a vertical position. He knew he was forcing it, but he didn't come up with something else at the moment and they didn't have much more time. He faced the knight again and started to explain. "When they reach us the spell will activate, and after that, the lacrimas will be destroyed."

"If we succeed, the Organic Link will kill us." She stated the possible outcome without a hint of fear or worry, moving her hands to encircle Natsu's neck; smiling sincerely to him and softening her features. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

"Oe, that we're not dead… yet." Natsu scolded her jokingly, grinning amusedly to ease the heavy atmosphere, perceiving the seals closer now. He looked at both sides and then at her again. "10 second left."

Feeling that it could be the last time they talk, Erza bit her lip and tried to talk again…

"Natsu… I…"

…but the man stopped her with a finger to her lips.

"No. Now's not a good time, Erza." He answered her inward question, knowing what she was going to say but not wanting to hear it now; not noticing the shocked, yet grateful face the woman had from hearing her name escaping his lips.

That was enough for her.

"Unison Raid!"

Their voices echoed through every corner of Magnolia, calling every citizens' and mages' attention to the sky.

"Fire Dragon-Knight's Burning Heaven!"

The seals met in the middle of them and then turned horizontal, one going up and the other down, enclosing both casters in their red aura and sending the flaming swords towards the lightning lacrimas that were about to fire at any moment.

"W-what the…?!" Gray yelled in shock, both he and Warren watching the spectacle in the sky with the rest of their guild members, each having a different reaction to the one of a kind event.

"I-It's as if the sky was dyed red…" Lucy whispered under her breath, too enticed with the sight to move or think about something else.

"The sky is on fire." Mystogan said with a content smile, watching the spell from the outskirts of the town, witnessing the destruction of the lacrimas and the raining inferno that followed, crystal shards floated down from the sky along small harmless sparks of fire, making the sky of that day a sight to behold.

"What was that?"

"Was it Fairy Tail's doing?"

"I thought it was the end of the world and now this!"

"It's beautiful!"

"Those idiots! They keep on surprising us every year!"

The townsfolk cheered in joy for the show they were witnessing, some trying to grab the sparks or the crystal shards to keep them, while the mages from the guild kept their eyes in the sky; more specifically, to the center of the city.

"Shit!" Gray thought after watching a huge lightning striking the airspace where Ignifer and Erza were supposed to be, putting his hand on Warren's shoulder he communicated with everyone desperately; knowing that time was of essence, he wasted no time in pass on the next orders. "Everyone! Whoever is close to them! Go and stop their fall, now!"

The mages began to panic, looking at the two forms plummeting to the ground with a stream of smoke in their wake, if they were to crash against the ground from such a height…!

The violent impact would kill them!

"I'm on it."

Everyone was awestruck when they heard that voice, even more, they were more surprised when they saw a figure jumping from rooftop to rooftop in direction of where the two mages where falling, finally catching them before they reached the ground.

"They are safe."

Gajeel told the rest of the guild, smirking at his accomplishment and the cheers from his new guild mates while watching the unconscious bodies of Ignifer and Erza lying in front of him, they looked dead but on closer inspection they were still breathing, it was a ragged one but they were breathing nonetheless; their armors were torn to pieces, they had serious injuries on their bodies but they were somehow still alive after receiving the brunt force of 400 lacrimas' Organic links.

He left the place overlooking the mop of pink-hair that escaped Ignifer's broken helmet and the familiar scent coming from it, knowing that there were more important matters to solve at the moment.

Also, he overlooked the content smile on the scarlet knight's face, thinking that it was probably out of a feeling of fulfillment than from being with the armored mage.

"Someone better drag his shitty ass here now and take them to the infirmary, I'm leavin' to help that other idiot in the cathedral."

"We're going!"

Max, Macao and Wakaba yelled through the mind link, heading to the place without a second thought; the rest of the members -organized by Gray- heading to the cathedral or the guild depending on their state.

They must stop Laxus, and everyone's strength would be needed for that.

* * *

*Thunder Palace: Out of Service*

Meanwhile, inside the cathedral, Laxus watched Freed's runes with a face that screamed shock from every single angle; he couldn't believe it, that bright red glow just now… was that what stopped his thunder palace? Who was capable of such feat? Who dare to stop his plan from succeeding?!

A voice chuckled weakly at seeing his state, looking down, he saw Ryota trying to stand up straight on his own two feet; he was bruised, beaten and exhausted, fighting lightning with iron was not a good idea to being with.

"T-told you… N-nothing happened in the end…" He said with a wide grin, his eyes flashing with new determination. "A-all that's left now, is to defeat you!"

*Erza: 200*

*Ignifer: 200*

"!" Laxus stared at the names wide eyed.

Those two?

Those two were enough to stop it?!

He started to shake, anger was building up, anger and excitement; he now knew who were the strongest inside the guild that could challenge him in an equal fight.

"You… you are all trash…!" Lightning engulfed him again, this time on a bigger scale, and Ryota would be lying if he says that he didn't feel fear from the terrible sight in front of him. "I'm done with games! I'll take the guild by force if necessary!"

"Then come and defeat me," Ryota challenged him, smirking and shaking slightly but keeping his bravado, knowing that now that Erza and Ignifer took care of the thunder palace, and with Mystogan away, he was the only one who could stand and defeat the blond's mad plan. "I'll not let you step out of this cathedral!"

"Shut up!"

And the fight resumed.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**I don't know if I did well with this chapter, but I like how I left it in the end.  
**

**Though, I felt that some parts were reaaaaaaaaally fluffy... sorry about that.  
**

**And sorry for not updating any time sooner, I was biased by Treason's plot.  
**

**Now, I want to know your opinions about this chapter.**

**Maybe you disagree with me, who knows?  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	10. A meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 9: A meeting.**

"…Ugh…"

A voice filled with drowsiness and pain grunted in the confined space of the room, calling the attention of those around and making them turn to see a scarlet-haired woman sitting on the bed with a hand resting on her forehead. She looked terrible but they needed to talk with her about something of urgency. Makarov, Gajeel, Mirajane and Porlyusca standing around her bed, all looking at her with some trouble, except for the dragon-slayer and the healer, who were staring at the ground without a care.

"H-how long was I unconscious?"

She asked with a sore throat, feeling it dry, Mirajane handed her a glass of water and helped her drink it while answering.

"A week."

Mirajane answered her honestly, but the reaction the scarlet woman had was beyond any of the ones she may have shown before, she was surprised.

Mainly because she didn't remember clearly what happened before she lose consciousness.

"Erza, my dear."

The second to approach her and talk was the short and old guild master, his eyes serious when asking her the question he wanted to be answered. Erza understood immediately what it was about so she nodded, still feeling a bit of a headache.

"What do you remember?"

The headache returned full force, a flash of images came to her mind, no sense could be found in them unless you were a part of it. And even if she was, she couldn't recall some of the things she saw.

They were fighting Laxus, he activated the thunder palace and was threatening to destroy the town unless Makarov surrendered and gave him the position.

She fought Evergreen, she heard that Mira defeated Freed and Lucy took care of Bickslow.

Then, the battle inside the cathedral…

"Na…"

She stopped herself from saying it, not wanting to set the people around her into alarm, but a hand over hers called her attention to Makarov; he looked serious but his eyes gave away the fact that he knew what was going through her mind.

"We know."

And he said without a hint of being mad about it, in fact, he looked like he knew it even before she got to.

"Y-you knew, Master?"

"All the people inside this room knew about what lied behind that armor."

Yes, of course he will know, he was the Master and he couldn't let anyone suspicious enter the guild.

"W-why…?"

"He asked us to keep it quiet."

Mirajane looked down in apology, knowing the feelings of her former rival towards the man.

"He appeared two days before you and the others arrived, he was floating in the coast, wounded and exhausted. Mira found him when she was closing the guild at night, she dragged him to the building and tried to take care of his wounds, when she failed, she called me and I called Prolyusca. She healed his wounds and then managed to make him regain consciousness. We talked with him… He told us everything that happened in your vacation, apologizing every single time he finished a sentence and asking us to let him leave before your return."

Makarov explained, folding his hands behind his back.

"We denied him, of course, but he was adamant in leaving… he told us he didn't have a purpose anymore and that he couldn't bring himself to face you or the others after what happened, he did wrong, that's true, but he's a good guy, he did what he did because he ended up in the wrong place."

"We gave him one, Master offered him to be his advisor and help him with the guild, and he refused, mostly because he's a wanted criminal now and he didn't want to cause trouble to the guild."

Mirajane interceded, explaining what happened later.

"And that's where Gajeel enters."

"…Tch, I created the armor for that dumbass, I was kept in the dark until a week ago. I recognized the armor I made the first time I saw it, but I wasn't sure... until last week, the scent coming from the inside of his broken armor caught my attention, so I questioned Master about it and he told me the truth."

Gajeel grunted in reply, looking upset for being kept in the dark about the matter, he was the Master's spy, why would he hide such a piece of information from him when there's more important things he shared? Well, the fact that the pink-haired fugitive and the knight had some history was one… and he certainly would have hide something like that as well, but still…

"…And where is he now?"

Erza asked after the information sunk in her head, her eyes scanning the room further and discovering that only the five of them were inside the infirmary, there was not a trace of the man being there.

"He woke up yesterday and went to Cait Shelter."

Porlyusca started to speak for the first time during the meeting, surely expecting her turn in the talk.

"He has wounds that I couldn't heal, remnants of etherion are merged with his body in some parts and I don't have any kind of potion or spell that can get rid of that. I healed him to the best of my ability, but I only managed to remove the etherion he had eaten. To get rid of the rest, he went to see the Sky Priestess of the guild I just mentioned."

The knight was surprised about what she heard, but then she remembered...

* * *

_In the fight that happened at the top of the tower, Ryota arrived to stop Gerard and was defeated because of the early fight he had against Natsu, he was exhausted and couldn't do more. Gerard then moved to eliminate him and finish the ritual with her but then… Natsu appeared, astonished of what was happening, he questioned Gerard about it and the azure-haired told him the truth._

"_If we want to create the perfect world, sacrifices are needed and this two are part of them!"_

"_B-but they are my friends!"_

"_What is more important to you?! The perfect world or your friends?!"_

_He spoke with a rage that Natsu seemed to have never seen before, but the pink-haired steeled his resolve, not liking Gerard's words._

"_So it's okay to you…? You would sacrifice me as well just to find that perfect world?"_

"_I will sacrifice whoever is needed for the perfect world!"_

"_You… are not the Gerard I know…"_

_Natsu clenched his fists, a shadow covering his expression._

"_That Gerard never existed to begin with! I just used you to fulfill my purpose to Lord Zeref!"_

_The pink-haired started shaking, anger radiating from every cell of his body, even Erza could feel it and be a little scared of what he could do now… but more than that, she was sad, sad for the lie the pink-haired couldn't see through and that now was surely hurting him deeply in his heart._

"_Find your father?! He's gone! Gone forever! Probably dead too! Lord Zeref surely didn't have a use for him and he destroyed him!"_

_Gerard continued to laugh like a madman at the sight of his accomplishment, not noticing what Ryota and she saw before the hell in the tower started._

_A tear._

"_Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuoooooooaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"_

_And before he could even look at the pink-haired, Gerard was struck in the stomach, Natsu's fist almost coming from the other side. He flew to a side and crashed against the etherion, a cloud of dust rising around that cleared immediately after Natsu closed the distance between them, his fire wilder than ever, his face contorted in pain and rage, every one of his attacks landing on the cause of his rampage. The tower cracking with every hit, a strong wave hitting her and Ryota because of the dragon-slayer's power; Ryota managed to stand up again and dragged Erza out of the etherion, both of them falling to the ground with their eyes locked on the fight._

_Flames were coming from the lower floors, the room's temperature was rising and the flames were swallowing everything, the etherion subsiding to the pressure._

"_You promised! You promised I'll see him again! That this tower was going to bring him back!"_

_The sight was incredible, the true meaning of the flames of emotion and the power of the ancient magic that's dragon-slayer, but it also was heart-breaking, Natsu believed in Gerard more than anything and knowing that everything was a lie made him snap._

"_You! I'll bring out the real Gerard out! You're not him! You're not my friend!"_

_Another scream that echoed in the place, his fists continued to destroy the wall and the man beneath._

"_I don't care!"_

_Gerard yelled in anger, pushing the man back with his magic pressure, a golden aura surrounding his body; Natsu skidded to a halt in front of the Fairy Tail mages, letting them see the bloody knuckles of his hands and the bruised form of the wizard saint ahead._

"_N-natsu…"_

_Erza whispered uncertainly, his rage being almost palpable, she reached out and laid a hand on his back, trying to let him know that she was okay and with him. She misjudged him._

_She first believed he was spying on her._

_Later, she believed he was truly a good guy but brainwashed by the words and promises of the azure-haired._

_And lastly, she believed he was already too far away for them to change him and stop him from helping Gerard on his plan, she tried to talk him out of it but he refused, not wanting to hear that everything was a lie._

_She now knew why._

_This, this dreadful place was the last hope of ever seeing his father again, and Gerard crushed that hope without a care._

"_He will not harm you, he will not harm what's mine, what I love, he won't touch you, if he does… I'll…"_

_Natsu started to mutter under his breath, not noticing that Ryota and Erza heard what he said. Erza's heart skipping at the indirect confession she got from him._

"_What will you do?! Huh?! I'm stronger than you, Natsu! You never beat me and you never will!"_

_Gerard also heard what he was muttering, laughing hysterically at the words._

_The floor under Natsu cracked, his flames surrounding him again, his figure standing and walking calmly towards the enemy that took everything from him. Erza's hand slowly going to the floor as her eyes followed the once sage of the Magic Council._

"_I never beat Gerard, that's true, but you… you're another story."_

"_I'm Gerard! You dumb-!"_

_Before he could complete his sentence, he was punched in the chest, the force making him gasp and spit some saliva._

"_Don't use his name! You fake!"_

_He recovered immediately, using his Heavenly Body Magic to gain monstrous strength, speed and agility, flying around Natsu he aimed for a kick to his back, but he didn't connect, the pink-haired was not standing there._

"_Gerard taught me everything he knew, he made me strong, and now… that strength is what I'll use to defeat you!"_

_Natsu appeared behind the saint, a red aura surrounding him, he looked serious, and his eyes never lost the hatred in them during the whole fight. For the spectators, it looked like two comets dancing and clashing against each other every few seconds, exchanges of magic made when the opponent was caught off-guard._

_In the end, Natsu was breathing heavily, the previous fight with Ryota having taken its toll on him; he was kneeling in front of the fairies again, lying in between them and the one aiming to kill them, to take them away from him._

"_I told you, you will never beat me."_

_Gerard said triumphantly, standing a few meters away in a worn-out condition, he never expected the pink-haired to show that strength… at least, not with him. Ryota felt like he was toyed with during his fight, Natsu never displayed this strength during their fight. And Erza, she was dazed, she couldn't believe the power of the two fighters, a corner of her mind telling her that even after all the hardships, all the training, she was still not strong to face the cause of her fears._

_But then, she met this guy._

_He was just looking for fun and a fight, nothing more, his attitude back then being entirely different from the one that he was displaying now._

_He was uncaring, impetuous, obnoxious and thoughtless; like a wild beast that has a great power but that no one can tame when released._

_And now, after all the time he spent with her and her friends, he changed… drastically._

_He was now caring, brave, pleasant and clear-minded; his edges were polished and now a dependable man stood before them, his friends before anything else, he would rather die than letting someone take what he fought to have._

"_Give up and come to side, Natsu, you can still be a part of the perfect world."_

_Gerard was now back to normal, his arms folded, he gave a sincere smile to the dragon-slayer._

"_Are… Titania… and the others… in that world…?"_

_The question was simple, and Erza sure did understand what he meant with it._

"_She's to be sacrificed, Natsu, Lord Zeref wants her to be the body in which he'll reside."_

_Gerard answered with a frown, disappointed in the pink-haired._

"_Then… there's nothing perfect about that world."_

_Natsu concluded with a fist grabbing a chunk of etherion, standing up, he took a bite of it, shocking everyone around him._

"_Natsu…!"_

"_This guy…!"_

_Erza and Ryota moved to make him drop the etherion but it was too late, Natsu swallowed what he ate and then…_

"_Arg!"_

_He dropped to his knees, a chocking sound escaping from him mouth while his hands pressed his neck to stop him from expulsing what he just ate._

"_Fool! You cannot eat the etherion! Fire is not the only magic residing in it, that's why you'll die for your stupidity!"_

_Gerard was shocked as well, a hint of worry etched on his face but it disappeared almost instantly, his evil side preferring to witness the death of the dragon-slayer… though, that's not what happened._

_The fires around Natsu returned, stronger, brighter and warmer than before, to the mages around him it rose to the ceiling and took the form of a dragon. The pink-haired standing back up to his feet in the middle, his eyes glowing dangerously and watching the enemy that made him reach that desperate point._

"_Ryota…"_

_The pink-haired said with a hollow voice, sending shivers to his listeners, the man he called barely finding the courage to speak._

"_Y-yeah…?"_

"_Get her out."_

_Ryota listened the simple request, thought about it with narrowed eyes and nodded, turning to take the mentioned woman away._

"…_Okay."_

_Erza heard the conversation with her mind realizing what he was meaning to do; she immediately pushed Ryota off of her and went to the dragon-slayer, slapping him hard on the cheek to urge him into a change of mind._

"_You are not sacrificing yourself!"_

"_I'm sorry, but…"_

_He punched her in the stomach, strongly but not enough to hurt her, Erza's eyes went wide, her body not responding to her, she could only hear what the pink-haired was saying while her vision blurred with each second that passed._

"…_I must do this, alone, I cannot have you here while I fight… I'll be worried… if you get caught in the middle… I won't forgive myself. Sorry, Titania… and… thank you."_

* * *

That was most of what she remembered from that dreadful fight.

Ryota carried her outside the tower and dragged her to the coast, when she came to her senses, the tower was falling apart with an inferno of flames around it that later became a pillar of blue energy and fire directed to the sky. Ryota said it then, the material composing the etherion must have become unstable because of the fight and was surely going to explode…

The only thing coming to his mind, the reason why there was a beam of light to the sky and not a huge explosion was…

That one of them must have used his body to direct the energy somewhere else, in exchange of his body.

If what Porlyusca said was right, then Natsu was the one to use his body and change the course of the unstable magic material.

After telling them her side of the story, Erza remained with her eyes glued to the sheets over her, her hands clutching the covers strongly.

"I see, he told us the same."

Makarov was looking at the wooden floor with narrowed eyes, thinking about the hardships his children had during all that time. Mira was sitting next to Erza, rubbing her back to help her cope with the sad memory, smiling encouragingly to her.

"Come on, Erza, he's here now and alive."

"I know… but he isn't here right now, and has something inside his body that might kill him, I'm to blame for that."

"Tch, you're not to blame woman, he did that on his own accord."

Gajeel surprised everyone with his comment, was he trying to cheer her up? He felt embarrassed for what he said, so, avoiding the curious glances, he left the room with stiffened steps.

"A-as Gajeel said, that's not your fault, he did it because he wants to protect you."

"Makarov, if I'm not needed anymore, I'll leave."

"A-ah, yes, check on Erza one last time and that would be all…"

Porlyusca stepped forward and laid a hand on the scarlet-hair's forehead, closing her eyes she concentrated for a bit and then withdrew her hand, her red eyes seeing the expecting ones of the people around her. How annoying.

"She's fine, she must rest for today and it'll be okay for her."

And with that, she left the room.

"Now, Erza, there's another matter of which we need to talk."

Makarov started coughing on his fist, looking at the knight with his eyes so severe that they made her flinch.

"Why did you agree to use Unison Raid with Natsu?"

"I… We didn't have many options left, there were 45 seconds left and the others were too exhausted…"

"Still, that was reckless, besides almost dying on the spot, you two forced the technique."

"F-forced it?"

Makarov nodded at her confused expression.

"Unison Raid can only be used if both casters have similar feelings at the moment, for how you're telling it to me, you must have doubted the possibility of it working so, Natsu forced it in order to stop the lacrimas."

Erza looked at the short man with shock, she felt that they were connected, but it is true that she had some doubts about the spell working…

"W-was that the reason why… I stayed in bed for a week?"

"Yes, it was a success but it exhausted both your body and mind, your magic reserves were almost depleted when you came to the guild."

"But it worked… everyone is safe…"

A slap echoed inside the room.

Mirajane watched with her hands covering her mouth, Erza had a stinging pain in her cheek and she was looking surprised for what the old man did.

"M-master…?"

"Listen, Erza, and listen carefully, I told the same to Natsu. It doesn't matter if there's no time, if there's no other way, you must not put yourself in danger to save everyone. We are a guild, we are family. We face everything together. Your last resort almost cost you two your lives, think about how the others would have felt if you two have died at that moment. If not for Porlyusca who was in the guild at the moment, you two would have not been here today."

"B-but…!"

"No 'buts', Erza, you did a bad thing with good intentions, but that's not what's to be of Fairy Tail, we live for our friends, not to die for them. We die, we die with them. We live, we live with them. I will say no more."

And he left the room as well, leaving Erza to think about what she heard, and hope for her to not do something so reckless again. Mira gazed at the knight with some sadness, rubbing her back again.

"He's right, Erza, you know we could have been able to stop the lacrimas together, there was no need to put yourself on the line like that."

"I… I did it for him…"

"And Natsu told us he did it for you and everyone else, that he would gladly do it again because of the troubles he caused us in the past… Master understood but didn't forgive him; he put you in danger with that, so he explained the same to him, expecting him to change that mentality."

Mira told her former rival what she heard and saw.

* * *

"_I see. I'll not do it again, and if you wish, I can leave the guild."_

_Natsu muttered with a guilty gaze coming to rest on the sleeping knight a few beds away._

"_Ha! I told you to stop being reckless, boy! I won't excommunicate you for something like this, and even less now that we are short in one S-class wizard, I want you to understand my words and take them to heart. Value your life as that of your friends, live with them, fight with them, die with them, no one here wants a martyr… you surely know that."_

"_I… know and I will. It seems there's yet a lot for me to learn from this place… but if the situation arises, I'll do it again, my guilt is that strong."_

"_Get rid of that guilt by helping them, as I said, live with them and mend the wounds one by one… you want to enjoy your time with them, right?"_

_"Yes."_

"_Then work hard to earn their trust again, don't do something rash to change it everything from one second to the other."_

"…_I will, sorry for the trouble."_

"_Don't apologize, you're not forgiven for this, you put Erza and yourself in danger… but you can stay, I might not forgive you today, for my anger it's still present, though you can earn my forgiveness by showing me that you changed."_

_Natsu thought of the words a bit more, scolding himself inwardly for the stupidity of his actions; it happened the same at the tower, he put himself at risk to save her, and now he added her to the mix to save the whole city. He didn't want to leave this world… nor did he wanted her to leave him or the other way around… he must be strong to have the two living, surviving each obstacle while searching for the happiness they have been both reprieve since childhood._

"_Does she know your feelings?"_

_Makarov asked him after a moment of silence, gazing at the sleeping beauty with the eyes of a father._

"_She does… I think… and I know she feels the same, but, now is not the time for that."_

"_Why?"_

"_We came from hell; deception and pain is all we saw, I… want to be sure that my feelings and hers are real, and not just a fleeting emotion that came from the spur of the moment."_

_The old master thought about the words for a moment and then nodded, patting the pink-hair's head with a hand stretched with his magic._

"_Good, but be sure to tell her when you see the chance, there's always trouble in this guild and we never know when it will be our last day."_

"_Ah, I will."_

_Natsu answered with a small smile, gazing lovingly at the unmoving figure underneath the sheets and her scarlet hair sprawled on the pillow. Makarov smiled at the image and chose to retire, but then, Porlyusca came in… she seemed pissed._

"_You damn brat! Pushing yourself this far when I told you to keep things to a minimum?! Do you know how much time did I stay here to keep you in the world of the living?! A whole day! You hear me! A WHOLE DAY!"_

"_A-ah…! Porlyusca…!"_

_Makarov tried to stop her, the best he could; she was swinging a broom in the air, wanting to kill the cause of her anger._

"_I-I'm sorry…! B-but there was no other way at the moment! I had to do something!"_

"_You damn brat! Trying to play hero when you're on the verge of dying?!"_

_And she broke free of Makarov's grasp, punishing the pink-haired with a mighty wrath that shook the foundations of the building._

"_I… I won't make you waste your time with a low-life like myself anymore, Porlyusca-sama."_

_Natsu said after the terror ended, bowing deeply to the pink-haired woman glaring at him with narrowed eyes; she sighed and put a hand on his forehead, shaking her head in defeat._

"_As I thought, you still have etherion in your body."_

"_But where? I cannot feel it or see it."_

_Natsu asked inspecting his body, his arms, legs and torso were clear._

"_Inside, in your organs. Did you try to eat fire?"_

_As an answer, Natsu looked at Makarov and the old man lighted a small flame on his finger, throwing the small thing to the pink-haired. The dragon-slayer immediately choked and grabbed his throat at the intense pain he felt._

"_W-what…?!"_

"_Eating the etherion and then merging with it, it left you with an inner damage so severe that you'll not recover your dragon-slayer abilities, unless you go somewhere."_

"_W-where…?"_

_The man asked now feeling slightly better, staring strongly at the woman._

"_To the Sky Priestess, in Cait Shelter near the forests of Nirvana to the north-west…"_

_Natsu got up the bed, his hands throwing the covers away and his magic circle appearing beneath his feet, the magic circle went up and his body was covered in his armor. He nodded at the two eldest members of the guild, walking straight to the window, Makarov running to stop him._

"_W-wait! You're leaving through the window?!"_

"_I don't want to face the others, also… Mirajane-san…"_

_A squeak from behind the door was heard and it opened slowly to show the white-haired waitress smiling shyly for being found, the three people inside the room looking at her disapprovingly._

"_S-sorry."_

"_Mirajane-san, please, don't tell Erza about… you know…"_

_He lowered his head nervously, leaving as soon as possible to avoid further shame._

"_Tch, youngsters these days are always in a hurry."_

"_You're one to talk, you old pervert."_

_Makarov and Porlyusca started to argue about inanities, Mira staying behind to look at the sleeping Erza shifting in her place, her hands grabbing the covers to protect her body from the cold she was experiencing._

'_Funny, she didn't show any signs of being cold last night.'_

* * *

Erza thought about what she heard, Mira sighing in relief for she managed to tell the story without letting out Natsu and Makarov's conversation regarding her, and after a moment she got up the bed and ex-quip into her normal armor, walking straight to the door with the head-barmaid behind.

"E-erza, wait! You need to rest!"

She didn't have to do much more because, the moment Erza opened the door, the knight fell to the floor with a loud thud. Panicking at what happen, Mira rushed to her side and found her knocked-out, she was still too tired to do much more than resting.

"What am I going to do with you?"

She sighed with a content smile, which changed to one of trouble when wondering how to transport the woman and her heavy armor back to bed.

That day, Mira didn't man the bar.

* * *

_To the north-west…_

"Who-nabura are you, young man, and what-nabura business do you have in my-nabura guild?"

Asked a small, slim elderly man with a long white beard, complete with a mustache, which extended up on his face's sides, making for a large pair of sideburns and his two bushy eyebrows as well. On his forehead was a tattoo, composed of a dot surrounded by two arched stripes. His clothing the same as a Native American's chief, he stared up and down at the armored figure standing in front of him.

"My name is Ignifer, Makarov Dreyar's advisor; I came from Fairy Tail to seek aid from the Sky Priestess."

He said with a cordial voice, giving a slight bow of respect towards the Master of the guild, the people around him and the Master himself being surprised by his introduction.

"You mean Wendy, nabura?"

Ignifer nodded to the question, hearing a small cry of surprise when he did so, he looked to the side and in between the mages of the guild was a petite girl with long, dark blue hair and brown eyes. He stepped closer to her, shrugging off the warnings of her guild mates to kneel before her, withdrawing his helmet to show her his face.

"Hi, Wendy, remember me?"

Wendy looked at the man with shock, as well as the rest of the guild, they heard he died in the incident of the Tower of Heaven with his collaborator Gerard Fernandez; how could Luminer Dragneel be alive?

But then, the girl didn't care for that, she was glad, glad that her friend was alive and safe. So she jumped and hugged him with all her strength, the pink-haired hugging her back slowly, too surprised with her reaction but finding it in his heart to smile softly in gratitude.

"I-I'm glad… I believed Luminer-san to be dead…"

She sobbed on his shoulder, Natsu freaking out a bit and patting her head to calm her down while finding the words to start the talk.

"I'm not, not yet anyway… Wendy…"

Natsu addressed her properly, separating himself from her, he locked her eyes with his, making her realized that it was an important matter the one to bring him there.

"I need your help."

**To be continued.**

* * *

**I know it looks like a mess but it is not, it's just a new format of writing that I found likable and and easy to use. I swear to you all, when I wanted to realize, I had all of this chapter written down, so much easier, and for a story that's just a repetition of the original with changes, it's good to make the story advance. At least, until I get to the points where some new things will happen.  
**

**Care to drop more than one review for this story? If not, I'll just drop it and find something better to do.  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	11. A good friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 10: A good friend.**

* * *

"_I'm Luminer Dragneel, Sage and member of the Magic Council, I was sent here to assess the abilities of your guild's member, Wendy Marvell."_

_The pink-haired man explained to the guild standing around him, watching the old man that was the Master of the place sitting a few meters in front of him without any real care for the new mission Siegrain gave him or the Sky Priestess that was continuously mentioned in the meetings held weekly with the rest of the sages. He didn't want to be there, but he had to, because of his mistake he had to endure this and do it right._

_A bit of explaining?_

_Shortly after the fiasco of Erza's trial, he couldn't stay in Magnolia for more than a day, he was summoned by Gerard to help Ultear with a plan she's being setting for some time. He was ordered to help a group settled by Lyon Bastya in the defrosting of the ice encasing a mighty creature made by Zeref centuries ago called Deliora. He had to keep the villagers and other people away from the ruins were the ritual was taking part, while Ultear oversaw the cultists and their chants to make the moon-drip spell work… oh, and he had to protect Lyon and his followers from anyone that could be sent to stop them from the legal guilds._

_"With the power given by the moon, Deliora's prison will melt and I'll have my chance to best Ur!"  
_

_Lyon told the pink-haired when this one asked about the reasons for the whole thing.  
_

_Unluckily for Luminer, the ones to come to the island were the mages from Fairy Tail, Gray Fullbuster and Lucy Heartfilia; the girl being dragged by the ice mage because the man was tired of being second-best to Ryota and Luminer, thing the second guy did not understood at all. His fellow guild member is one thing, but him? What did he do besides showing the brunette that he was stronger than him?_

_'That guy is annoying... it's not like I care if he's stronger or weaker than me... he should do he same.'  
_

_He absentmindedly thought, hearing the mages' conversation after they arrived to the island.  
_

_After the first meeting, where he remain hidden and left Lyon and Ultear –who transform into a tiny guy named Zalty- deal with them, he followed them back to the village from afar, watching their movements and keeping them away from the temple. Though, Lyon's impatient got worse and he ordered his followers to attack the village and get rid of the mages that same night._

_"I want you three to burn that town to the ground! If they become a nuisance, Luminer will aid you!"  
_

_And so, he was allowed to order him like that? When he met eyes with Ultear, he found out it was like that.  
_

_Luminer watched the whole exchange with narrowed eyes, fighting back the urges to help them, until the battles between Yuka and Toby against Gray, and Sherry and her dolls against Lucy were over. The blond mage was really lucky to end her battle in the beach; she was the first to meet Erza and Ryota, who had to take a pirate ship to get there. To say that both S-class mages were not happy with Gray's and Lucy's actions was an understatement, they were furious, and Luminer was able to feel the knight's rage even from his hidden spot in the forest._

_'Titania is scary as always... wonder... should I help them? I mean... if they somehow catch me here helping the bad guys, it will give away my ruse to the Council... and I'm sure that even if I hide well, Titania or that guy will be able to find me.'  
_

_Feeling like he couldn't continue with the plan now that the knight was there, Luminer talked with Ultear and told her about his decision to help the mages from Fairy Tail… in sake of keeping his façade, that is. The woman only sighed and waved his lies away, too tired to even try to stop him but reminding him that he would later have to face Gerard on his own._

_"Yeah, yeah... go and stop bothering me, help your little Titania and her friends... but when we return, you alone will talk with Gerard."  
_

_In the end, he appeared when the mages were discussing how to approach the temple and the cultists, Ryota's and Erza's anger now slightly softened after witnessing Gray's will to finish the mission despite the obvious punishment he will get later for breaking the rules; Luminer told them that the Council sent him to investigate the strange occurrences in the island –which was not a lie, he was told months ago to do so, but because of Gerard's orders, he kept on postponing the mission-, and since the Fairies were there at the moment, he was going to help them solve the trouble… thing that didn't settle well with Gray, though, after Erza's reminder that he was no-longer in charge of the mission, he relented and allowed the Sage to give them a hand._

_"If there's no other way..."  
_

_"With Luminer here, there's... three! Three S-class mages to finish the mission!"  
_

_"Overkill too much?"  
_

_"It doesn't matter if we are more or not, we cannot head forward against the enemy like simple minded fools, we need a plan."_

_Gray, Lucy and Ryota heard the words of their senior intently, nodding at her reasoning and expecting to hear the plan.  
_

_"I have a way to end this quickly, follow me."  
_

_And so, even if Erza didn't like it, Luminer took the lead.  
_

_Destroying the temple's lower pillars by making Ryota sneak in from an entrance he knew, Luminer let the Ryota, Lucy and Gray fight against his previous group while he 'searched' with Erza the place where the frozen creature was being kept, shockingly discovering that the ice was already melting even without the moon-drips' help._

_Gray showed up after defeating Lyon, both ice mages fighting over the mistakes of their past until the mage of Fairy Tail managed to get the upper hand. When he heard the creature gave a loud roar, Gray rushed to where Deliora and his friends were… only to see his past's nightmare shatter into a million pieces when Luminer told Erza to throw a sword at it, the Sage noticing with some pity that the creature was weakened after all the time it spent incased in Ur's Iced Shell._

_"Pity... I wanted to test its strength..."  
_

_He was already imagining a great fight against that thing and he found out that it was already dead._

_Then, with Lyon and his group taken care of, the Fairies and the Sage concentrated their efforts in discovering why the people living in the village transformed into demons when the night arrived, thing that Luminer knew but kept silent about in sake of hiding his allegiances. Though, he was surprised when Erza managed to discover the truth by herself with just a simple look… but not as surprised as when he heard her scream 'Kyaaa!' after falling for a simple trap hole made by Lucy's spirit, Taurus, earlier that day._

_"KYAAAAAA!"  
_

_"D-did... I hear right?"  
_

_"S-she said 'kya'..."  
_

_"T-that's... strangely cute..."  
_

_Gray, Ryota and Luminer commented with shocked expressions, watching how the woman kept on talking like nothing happened.  
_

_She changed to the Giant's armor, asked for Luminer's help, and they both destroyed the magic dome covering the island, explaining to the ones that didn't know, that the people living there were actual demons and that the dome covering the island messed with their memories and changed their bodies to those of humans during the day._

_In gratitude, the villagers offered to make a party in celebration of the end of their problems, to which the mages eagerly complied, except for Luminer, who had to return to Era and inform about the incident…_

"_You cannot stay? Not even for a small time?"_

"_I'm sorry but I cannot, Org-jii ordered me to return as soon as the problem was solved."_

"_But surely you can stay for the night."_

"_No, Org-jii has more missions for me and the sooner I get them done the better…"_

_He said to the chief of the village with a stoic face, shaking his head with a small smile at the pleads made by some females demons, and moving to leave the place after mouthing a small 'bye' to the mages that helped/obstructed his job; he would have left at that moment if not because a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Looking over, he saw Erza glaring at him with narrowed eyes before sighing and nodding to him with a grateful smile._

"_Thanks for your help again, Luminer, I hope this is not the last time we see each other."_

"…"

_He stared at her for a good minute with no expression on his face, hearing Ryota snorting, Gray growling and Lucy giggling when they saw the knight getting flustered in waiting of a response from him. Luminer grinned after hearing her stutter words to bid him farewell and took her hand with both of his, turning around with a sincere smile that made several demon girls around pass-out or look at him dreamily, as well as freeze the knight on the spot with his softened onyx eyes._

"_Thank you, Titania, and I do hope for the same."_

_Taking that as his cue, he let go of her hand and turned to leave, quickly, his mind working to exhaustion in hopes of finding out just why he was becoming softer around that woman and what did she have in her to make him do such stupid things._

_Unaware of the steaming and red faced knight he left behind with her friends laughing madly at her reaction._

_Upon his return, Org congratulated him on his success and took note of Fairy Tail's help, commenting that the guild was behaving and doing better after Luminer started to go there._

_But then, that was the good part._

_Returning to Era after the mission he had with Ultear was a pain, he never thought he would see Gerard so mad._

_"B-but...!"  
_

___"Shut up! Do you understand what you did?! Ultear has been working on this for a year! And let all that go to waste because of your friendship with those idiots!"_  


_The man yelled at him for an entire hour, too mad to even let the pink-haired explain that he didn't even have a clue as to why he changed so much when he was in presence of Titania._

_The end? He was ordered to look for the place where a dark powerful magic was hidden, his only clue being that it was somewhere in the forest close to a legal guild called Cait Shelter. And if he failed to find it, he would be sent to guard the tower for a month, thing that Natsu was not so eager to do._

_Which brings us back to the start of this flashback… _

"_I see-nabura, if the Council wants to check on Wendy, there's nothing I can do to stop you-nabura… Wendy, you can come and meet him now-nabura."_

_Roubaul conceded with a short nod, calling with a soothing voice for the little girl hiding behind some of the members, the people moving aside to let her step forward and greet the man that came to see her. Swallowing her fear the best she could, and receiving an encouraging nod from Charle, she shyly walked forward and stood next to Luminer; bowing in respect while the man grinned in acknowledgement._

"_G-glad to meet you, Luminer-san, my name is Wendy Marvell."_

"_Hey, Wendy, nice to meet you too… you can drop the honorific if you want."_

_He told her with a small smile, patting her head and chuckling when she flushed red in embarrassment; Charle only sighed at her friend's behavior and called her wings to be face-to-face with the Sage, who looked at her in wonder after seeing her use wings… and talk._

"_Listen, I don't care if you're the Head of the Council or the King of Fiore, if you do something to Wendy, I'll make sure you regret it."_

"_Nice, a talking and flying cat… wish I have one… okay, why don't we take a walk and talk a bit, there's much to share."_

_Luminer offered to them, shrugging the cat's threat and gazing at the blue-haired girl with his smile still present, Wendy only nodded repeatedly and leaded the way for him, showing him the surroundings of the guild and explained her abilities to him._

_A day passed and he asked for a demonstration of her power, shockingly learning that she was a dragon-slayer like him, which urged him to ask her about the dragon that raised her and what happened to it, hearing the same story as his._

"_You know? I'm a dragon-slayer too, the fire dragon-slayer…"_

"_R-really, Luminer-san?!"_

"_Yeah, I was taught by Igneel the fire dragon, he was like a father to me and taught me almost everything I know… besides dragon-slayer magic, of course… but he disappeared the same day as your mother, the 7 of the 7… and since then, I haven't seen him."_

"_D-did you try to search for him?"_

"_Yes, I did… for some time, but then, I found some people… those people needed my help… and then they became my friends, so, I left Igneel's search and chose to live with my friends. Did you hear about Siegrain Fernandez?"_

_The girl nodded._

"_He's one of my friends… as well as Ultear Milkovich; we three travelled around until we decided to make something of ourselves and joined the Council."_

"_That's amazing, Luminer-san!"_

_The pink-haired smiled at Wendy, feeling a small pain in his heart for having to lie to the young girl with the same story he told everyone; Gerard explained to him why he must keep the Tower a secret, but still, lying to every single person they find? Wasn't there someone to whom he could talk about it besides the people inside the same tower?_

_As for Wendy, her admiration to the man was growing by long strides. He was confident, strong and cheerful, things which she always envied but in a good way. He was also a dragon-slayer like her, so Wendy's respect for the man only grew more… so much that she couldn't help but feel like she liked him._

"_I don't believe you're a dragon-slayer."_

_He heard the girl's cat, Charle, say with her arms-paws crossed, the white thing looking at him with narrowed eyes._

"_Oh? But I am, and I can eat fire to prove it."_

"_Do it."_

"_C-charle…?!"_

_Walking back to the village where the guild was, they spotted some of the members preparing a fire for the night and immediately got close to them, pushing them aside; Natsu gazed at the fire with a raised eyebrow and later moved a hand to touch it._

"_O-oe! Be careful…!"_

_The people around him witnessed in shock how he grabbed the flames without being burned and gulped it down with no apparent pain, only leaving the burnt wood left and a speechless crowd around him; he turned around and grinned to the astonished cat and girl, giving them a thumbs up in victory._

"_Ha! Told you I'm a dragon-slayer…"_

"_O-okay, I believe you."_

"_I'm glad! I'm not the only dragon-slayer!"_

"_Of course you're not the only one! There are many for what I know! But we are in different places and some hide it to avoid trouble… like me! Only the people inside the Council and those who I trust know about it!"_

_Luminer grinned in satisfaction after seeing the girl and the cat talking about the possibilities of meeting others like her, he was glad too, he knew of her and the dragon-slayer from Phantom Lord, but he never actually tried to go and meet them. Now, he was thinking that it wasn't so bad, he could also try to go and meet the other one, and see how it goes from there… maybe even look for others like them._

_Just then, he felt a presence calling to him. Someone in the Council was trying to reach him, so, he summoned the communication lacrima and established the link with whoever it was; Wendy, Charle and some of the members from Cait Shelter watching him turn serious when the form of an old man showed itself in the orb._

"_Luminer, where are you?!"_

"_I'm in Cait Shelter, doing some research, why?"_

"_Research?! Who ordered that?!"_

"_Siegrain, he told me to come and meet the Sky Priestess, Wendy Marvell."_

_He flashed a grin to the mentioned girl, making her look down in embarrassment._

"_Damn that brat! Listen, Luminer, your assistance is needed urgently!"_

"_Why? What happened, Org-jii?"_

"_A guild war started, Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord are fighting!"_

_Luminer and the people around heard the news with shock. A guild war? In between the two strongest guilds of the country? He couldn't understand what could start the war, Fairy Tail always avoided these matters and Phantom Lord only barked most of the time… did they finally dare to make a move? If so, why was he needed? It wasn't like Fairy Tail was weak or didn't have the power to confront Phantom._

"_What do you want me to do?"_

"_Intervene in Fairy Tail's side; reports say that Phantom incited the war so you'll help in fending off their attack before moving to arrest them. Michello already sent Doranbolt and his unit to Magnolia; they will be there for tomorrow."_

_Ah, true. He was a Council member and he was closely related to one of the guilds involved, this time he was going to be the sign of law-enforcement from the Council._

"_I'll get there shortly."_

"_Good."_

_And the transmission was over._

_Luminer clenched his fingers around the orb in his hand, as well as his teeth, rage coursing through his veins without him knowing the reason. Though, he only had one thing in mind._

'…_I hope this is not the last time we see each other.'_

"_L-Luminer-san, calm down…!"_

_He heard a frightened voice addressing him, and when he looked down, he found the blue-haired girl holding onto his arm with a worried expression. He stared at her for a moment, shaking his head shortly afterwards, he called off the orb and kneeled next to the girl with a hand resting at the top of her head; he smiled apologetically._

"_I'm sorry for that, Wendy… and I'm also sorry for leaving like this but I'm needed right now… what do you say if we see each other some other time?"_

"_O-okay! I'll be here when you return!"_

"_That's what I wanted to hear!"_

_Patting her head a few times, he stood up and turned in the direction where the town of Magnolia was located, believing it was better to meet and get informed of the situation with the group he knew than going blindly to the enemy's base. He closed his eyes, concentrated and the white magic seal appeared beneath his feet, the teleportation occurring almost instantly._

"_Take care!"_

_He heard before vanishing from the spot, smiling warmly at the girl's concern._

_As to what awaited him, he hoped they weren't fighting in Magnolia at the moment; the magic his teleportation spell consumed would leave him almost depleted and unable to fight for a day._

* * *

"A long time passed since that day, huh?"

"Y-yes…"

"I'm sorry for not coming again, Wendy, I… had some things to take care of."

"I-is it true…?"

"…yes."

Natsu mouthed with his eyes narrowed, looking at the sand around his feet. He, Wendy and Charle were sitting at the shore of the lake near the guild, catching up after the Sky Priestess took care of his inner problems, now he had time to talk with the girl with sincerity.

But the talked started rather awkwardly, he knew why, she heard about his betrayal and the destruction of the Council and that made it difficult for the two to chat about the reasons why he couldn't come again to see her… until now.

He begun by explaining what happened, who he really was and why did he betrayed the Council, the fight at the Tower and his current status as a member of Fairy Tail. It was a long story, but his two listeners heard everything intently, just asking questions when they didn't get something completely.

When everything was said and only silence remained, both sank in the awkward silence again, Wendy moving her mouth nervously to ask a question that hung in her head after hearing the part of his involvement with the woman she admired since reading about her in the Weekly Sorcerer.

"S-so Erza-san… a-and you…?"

"I don't know, I seriously don't know."

He raised his head to see the sky, leaning back with his hands on the sand as he gazed at the cerulean sky with distant eyes, wondering how to advance with the woman… he had her deep in his heart but the guilt of having lied and almost sent her to certain death stopped him completely. He didn't know what to do; he wanted her but knew he didn't deserve her after all that occurred.

"I… feel deeply for her… but I cannot find the courage to tell her. After Porlyusca-san told me I had to come here to get my inside wounds healed, I was relieved, I would be able to leave and avoid the talk I promised her… I cannot forget her face when she completely learned of my involvement with the Tower… what I said, what I did… I don't deserve her."

"Lumi- N-natsu-san…"

"Ah, but don't worry about it, Wendy! It's my problem… I shouldn't burden you with my troubles in the first place."

"B-but…! I wanna help Natsu-san! You can't punish yourself like this! It's not right!"

Wendy cried to the man, standing up with her teary eyes staring at the conflicted guy's ones, shocking him to the core. She was sad, sad in learning that he already had someone he loves, and sad because he was beating himself up to not grasp that piece of happiness after all the things he went through.

Natsu sighed after a moment, standing up and facing the girl with a sad yet grateful smile. He was always amazed at how the girl cared for him, even if he was a wanted criminal and they knew little about each other, she cared, she was there for him. Natsu couldn't help but chuckle at how the previous situation looked, the older brother being scolded by his younger sister. He patted the girl's head and walked closer to the water, stopping near it and staring at the other side of the lake.

"I'm glad you care and want to help, Wendy, but this is seriously something I need to solve by myself… I'll find a way, give me time, and I'll find a way!"

"I don't believe you; you're just saying that to drop the subject…"

Wendy puffed her cheeks and looked to a side, irked that the man believed her to be clueless about his words' intentions. Natsu laughed heartedly, patting her head again and dropping on the sand with his arms crossed behind his back.

"Maybe, maybe not, who knows? I assure you though, that I'm thinking every single second about how to solve this…"

"Why don't you just tell her and be done with this?"

Charle sighed before asking her question. It was so simple, if he wanted her, he should let her know, if she didn't want him, she will tell him so. There wasn't anything hard about it. Except for the emotional part and the possible heart-break he could suffer if the answer was not the one he wanted.

"Charle is right, tell Erza-san and hear what she has to say… maybe is not what you imagined."

"You think?"

"Hai! You told me she feels something too, so Erza-san might be troubled as well, you have to tell her and hear her out!"

"…"

Natsu stared at the two females with a blank expression, thinking the matter over. Maybe it was as they said and the answer from Erza was completely different from the one he imagined, he just needed to gather courage and tell her his feelings. Not hard… okay, it was hard… it was the most difficult thing he had to do in all his life! Sweating bullets at the mere idea of facing the woman to talk about it, he shook his head and stood up, walking back to the guild with Wendy and Charle following him.

After a week in Cait Shelter, things for Natsu got really complicated.

And it wasn't because the guild where he was staying wanted to kick him out, no.

It was because the two girls, with whom he was acquaintances with, were glaring and demanding for him to make up his mind and return to Fairy Tail so he could talk with Titania about the things plaguing his mind and heart.

"I told you, tomorrow I'll leave."

What a good-for-nothing lie.

"You said that 4 days ago!"

Good, Wendy! You're keeping track!

"It's not true, I said it yesterday."

"Then leave now and talk with her."

"…"

Bull's-eye.

"Natsu-san?"

Natsu got up from his bed and stared at both girls with tired eyes from not sleeping enough, he spent the past nights up late in thinking, wanting to find solution to all his troubles. For starters, he wanted to know what to say to her when he returns; second, he wanted to know how to run the conversation to his _possible _confession; third, he wanted to know how to react whatever the answer he receives… and so far, he only had the first part of his plan settled.

"_Hi, Titania, miss me?"_

That was the sentence he was going to use when seeing her again. Not bad, but not good either, and the moment he told Wendy and Charle about it, he added two more females to his "Scary women list".

"Natsu-san, you cannot approach her so directly and uncaringly!"

"That's true, for what you told us of that woman, she'll kill you after hearing it."

"…Okay, suppose that you two are right, what should I say to her?"

"Well…"

Wendy started to imagine the approach.

_Natsu entering the guild where every one of his new partners were and greeting everyone on his way to the bar, where a lonely knight was sitting. He stopped behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder, turning her around in a second and embracing her with his free arm by the waist. Calling off his helmet to gaze at Erza's surprised face with passionate eyes and smile, making all the women around him sigh in awe._

"_Thou, Erza, who holds my beating passionate heart with both hands, I have returned to claim thee as my own."_

"_Oh, Natsu, who holds my love-filled heart as well, for so many nights I had wished to hear thee saying those words."_

_And they joined lips in a passionate kiss, the sunset as their background and their future as their only thought…_

When Wendy passed out, Charle and Natsu sweatdropped, they had to admit that the girl had an excellent vocabulary but her imagination was pretty surreal and wild. Shaking her head at the situation replaying in her mind, Charle crossed her arms-paws and looked at the man sternly, Natsu diverting his eyes to see her when she coughed to get his attention.

"Just return, talk with her, ask her to go somewhere more private and confess; that should be enough, right?"

_Natsu walked inside the guild where every one of his new friends were and greeted everyone on his way to the second floor, where a scarlet knight was talking with the Master of the place. He stopped next to them and laid a hand on the woman's shoulder, turning her to face him in a second; calling off his helmet to gaze at Erza's surprised face with determined eyes, the old Master understanding that they were going to talk something private and leaving to give them space._

"_I need to talk with you, Titania, it's important."_

"_What is it?"_

"_I cannot tell you here, follow me."_

_Guiding her to the infirmary, he closed the door and locked it, stepping close to the woman and asking her to take a seat since what he had to tell was surely going to startle her._

"_I've been thinking about us, about what I feel for you."_

"_And?"_

"_I love you, Erza, with all my heart, but my guilt stopped me from saying it earlier."_

"_I love you too, Natsu, and I forgive what you did in the past."_

"That's as surreal as Wendy's! And how come Titania confessed and forgave me that fast?!"

Natsu yelled in disbelief to the white cat, staring at her sighing for his reaction.

"Tch, it's better than your idea."

Point given.

Though, he was still doubtful about it.

Could he leave his past behind and move forward to a brighter future?

It was a question of gathering courage and talk with the woman, he had to do so, even if his objective wasn't get into a relationship with her. He owed her that much. An explanation of what was going on through his mind, his actions.

A confession of a different kind.

"Still… it's hard to think about reviving those things… especially with her."

"You won't know until you try."

Sighs.

"True."

**To be continued.**

* * *

**And there you have, a long chapter for this story I've been plotting with a thoughtful mind. I want to make it the best if possible.  
**

**Now, what will Natsu do?  
**

**And where the hell is Happy?!  
**

**Thanks to all the people that reviewed, I'm glad you like this story and your comments are taken into consideration.  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	12. A shadowed path

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 11: A shadowed path.**

"Natsu-san…"

"Yes?"

"What are we looking for?"

"You'll see."

Having decided to stay a few more days before returning to Fairy Tail, Natsu, Wendy and Charle took the chance to explore the forests in Cait Shelter's surroundings with no more reason than to know the place a bit more. Or at least, that's what he told the Sky Priestess and her cat. He might have checked the place before when he was a Sage but he lost his focus and instead spent his time getting to know Wendy and her abilities, personally deeming it more important than a long lost power.

Even if Gerard was the one to order him that search, he did what he wished in the end.

But now that things were different and he lost his friend, he wanted to complete this old task.

Call it, a late 'to-do list'.

Walking for what seemed like hours, the three went further and further into the deeps of the woodland. The scenery changed around them from the normal ancient forest to one with an eerie aura that got them in alert all the time, there was something strange in the air, something that sent shivers down their spines and goose bumps to their skins.

That forest was evil.

"N-natsu-san…?"

"Be calm, Wendy, I don't sense any danger."

"S-still, this forest… something is not right, it's feels like a hand clutching my heart tightly…"

"I know… I can feel it too…"

Natsu looked around at the wicked trees and foliage plants with cautious eyes, he could sense the presence of several creatures that were following them, but stopped himself from saying anything since they didn't attack them so far. He couldn't scare the little girl more than what she already was.

They went on and on, crossing the obstacles in their way with relative ease, the eerie aura growing stronger, until they found an old path. It was filled with creepers from the trees at it sides but it was passable. Though, the thorns those plants had could prove to be harmful for the little girl walking with a dress and shoes without socks.

"Wendy, get on my back."

"U-uh…? Okay, Natsu-san…"

"Cat… you can fly, get off my back."

"As if."

Ignoring Charle's words, Natsu continued down the old path with Wendy on his back, his armor covered legs and feet protecting him from the thorns and allowing them to explore even more of this darker side of the forest.

"Wendy."

"Yes?"

Seeing that they had a long road ahead, the pink-haired chose to talk so they could pass the time faster.

His subject…

"You know quite a lot of healing magic, right?"

"Y-yes, but I still have a lot more to learn…"

"…I see…but can you answer a doubt I have?"

Wendy jerk her head back when a magic seal appeared around Natsu's head, dispelling his helmet and showing his face to the world. She went to her original position and saw his face, seeing he was conflicted in what he wanted to know.

"If I survived the Etherion in the tower… is there any chance for…"

"F-for Gerard-san…?"

"Yes…"

The healer thought hard about the question, having heard of what happened after Ryota took Erza out of there and Natsu stayed alone to fight against the one who deceived him.

* * *

"_Y-you…"_

_Gerard rose to his knees, almost falling on his back as he look upwards with his mouth wide open and taking huge breaths. He was at his limit, he couldn't fight anymore, he didn't have any power left in him to continue… not even to run away from the place._

_But how? How could he escape from this hell?_

_The tower was mostly destroyed and on fire. It was going to explode at any moment because of the unstable environment and eliminate everything in an enormous radius around it. There was neither reason to fight for or reason to live anymore… all because of a little miscalculation of his part._

_He shouldn't have startled Natsu 2 months ago. He shouldn't have made him mad and encourage him to face Titania._

_He was too full of himself, he didn't see it clearly, Natsu meeting Erza was the worst thing that could have happened to his plans._

"_Gerard…"_

_A deep-growling voice called him in between the flames surrounding him._

"_Are you back to normal, Gerard?"_

_He took a last huge breath and faced forward, his body falling to the front and almost hitting the floor if not because his fists stopped him. Looking up, he saw the cause of the inferno walking calmly towards him._

"_Gerard?"_

_The voice softened, the figure stepped closer._

"_G-get… away…"_

"_I will not… you have something important to me…"_

"_Gerard? I told you a hundred times already… I'm Gerard!"_

"_You're not!"_

"_Who cares?! Leave!"_

"_Why?"_

_Gerard laughed hollowly at the question, the action sending numerous bolts of pain to him all over his broken battered body._

"_Fool… you defeated me… leave me here and save yourself…"_

_A hand reached down to grab him by the neck, forcing him to stand painfully on his own two feet and come face-to-face with the one who was once his most trusted collaborator and best friend._

_Natsu scowled at the weak smile the azure-haired was giving him, not liking it one bit._

"_What? Don't tell me you gave up already…"_

_Another laugh._

"_W-what's wrong with that? I-I don't have any other reason to remain alive…"_

_The scowl intensified._

"_What about Erza?"_

"_Why should I care about that woman?"_

"_Because she cares about you! If you die, if we die…! She…! She won't be the same!"_

_Gerard narrowed his eyes at the words, his words now coming out clearer._

"_I still don't see why I should care…"_

_A deep growl and a punch to his cheekbone was his answer, but the pink-haired still had him on his grasp. Gerard laughed hollowly again; he received more punches from Natsu until the man finally grew tired of it and threw him to a side._

"_Because she and I! We both care, Gerard! Without you we have no meaning! Nothing on this world to keep us standing!"_

_The azure-haired smiled at that._

"_Isn't that perfect?"_

_Natsu stared in shock at his possessed friend. Gerard stood up from the ground by supporting his weight with a wall that was close, smirking evilly in the pink-hair's direction._

"_I die, I win… isn't that perfect for me? You might have defeated me and I'm sure you'll find the way to survive this situation… but still… I will win…!"_

_He laughed madly at his own reasoning, not noticing the approaching figure to his side. Natsu laid a hand on his shoulder, stopping the laughter and calling Gerard's attention to his now serious face._

"_I have no time to waste with you, fake… I'll get us both out of here."_

"_Oh? And how will you – ugh!"_

_Silencing him with a strong knee to his gut, Natsu looked at Gerard's falling form with sad yet determined eyes. He picked his body off the crystal and accommodated him on his back, running away from the collapsing room towards the upper floors where the fire was in fewer quantities._

'_How? How can I stop this?!'_

_On the way up, his mind raced against time to find a way to get the two out of the building, or a way to stop the about to explode etherion. He couldn't die there, there were many reasons to remain in this world and he wanted to show them to his friend. He wanted to forget everything, the tower, the missions, the council, the fights… he wanted to start again with his friend next to him… both together with the woman that showed him the error of his ways._

'_She won't forgive herself if we die here! We need to get out! We need to get out and go with her!'_

_Running through the hallways that leaded to the upper floor where they started their fight, Natsu felt his strength leaving him. He fell to his knees and dropped the body he was carrying behind him, he couldn't move, the power given to him by the etherion he ate was fading and now adding more fatigue to his tired body._

_The fight against Ryota didn't tire him much, he was still able to present a decent opposition when he went to the last floor and found Gerard ready to kill the Iron God-slayer and sacrifice Erza into the magical energy._

_It was the fight with him, he never defeated Gerard and it was with good reason. The man taught him everything he knew and trained him in every aspect he could possibly imagine, he understood Natsu's way of fighting and used that to his advantage._

_The battle took a toll on him in the end… when he needed his body the most all the exhaustion reached to him and left him ready for death to take him in the swift vengeful moment of the about to explode tower._

'_I… I can't do anything more… I cannot move forward… I can't get us out… I was unable to bring him back, I couldn't bring the real him out… Titania… no… Erza… I…'_

"…_I'm sorry…"_

_He looked at the orange-colored ceiling, the crystal of the magic material reflecting the flames behind them, it was cracking._

"…_I wish…I could have told you…that I…"_

"_Oh, shut up, Natsu…"_

_His eyes widened._

"_You never looked so pathetic before…"_

_He lowered his head slowly._

"_I'm still wondering why I'm doing this…"_

_From the shadows of the corridor opposite to the fires, footsteps echoed, a scent he knew was getting closer and when it came to the light…_

"_U-ultear…?"_

_In effect, the black-haired woman was there, irritation written all over her face at the same time her eyes looked worried for the bruised forms of her puppet and his friend… their friend. She kneeled in front of Gerard and passed a hand over his right eye, this one opening for a moment to let a bright red dot come out from the center before closing._

_Natsu stared at her and the object in her hand with shock._

_Was she the one behind all of this?_

_Ultear watched the bright red dot for a moment. Remembering how it all begun before sighing tiredly and tossing it to the advancing fires behind them. She rose from the ground and with a simple twist of her hand, her arc of time magic made the walls and roof leading the way from which Natsu came with Gerard crumbled and close the way for the fire._

"_Don't talk and listen. There's no way for the two of you to get out and I won' take you with me either, but I can give you the solution for this."_

_She summoned an orb of great size and dropped the unconscious Gerard on top of it, a hand from her extending for Natsu to hold. He looked at it with narrowed eyes before nodding and extending his hand to grab hers. She pulled him up and rested his arm over her shoulders with her free arm supporting his weight by side, moving the orb with her mind as Natsu and she advanced to the throne room._

"…_W-why…?"_

"_I told you, don't talk."_

_Hearing the annoyance in her voice, he did as told and closed his mouth._

_Though, that didn't stop him from smiling gratefully of her actions._

_A few minutes passed, the crumbling of the tower's lower levels could be heard from the throne room, the time they had was running thin and when Ultear left him and Gerard on the middle of the room the fire was already consuming the etherion around the hole made on the ground during the early fight._

"_Listen, and listen well, you can't escape, there's no way and I told you I won't be taking you with me… but you can stop the etherion from exploding and killing everyone around and inside the tower."_

_Natsu nodded and urged her to continue, this was serious so he was listening intently._

"_You must merge with the etherion and redirect the energy to the sky."_

_His eyes widened when he heard it._

_What she was telling him… wasn't that what Gerard wanted to do with Erza?_

"_Choose wisely and move fast, my guess is that there are 5 minutes left before this whole place blows up."_

_After saying that, she turned and walked until she was standing under the hole made in the ceiling of the throne room, looking at the night starry sky being clouded by gusts of smoke for a moment before casting a final glance over her shoulder._

"_I'm sorry."_

_And she vanished._

_He stared at the now empty spot for a moment, the rumbling under him calling his attention back to the situation at hand and what he had to do. He looked at the form of Gerard stirring, moving, he was waking up. Natsu crawled closer to the man with his eyes darting in between him and the increasing flames until he saw Gerard finally opening his eyes._

_Witnessing the situation around him with blurry eyes and mind, the first thing he saw was an orange-colored roof._

_He got half his body up, rubbing his temple with one hand while the other served as support._

"…_W-where… where am I…?"_

"_Gerard…?"_

_The azure-haired looked in the direction from which the voice came, finding a guy with pink-hair, onyx eyes and worn out aspect staring intently at him. He recognized him from somewhere, but he couldn't exactly say from where. His mind was a mess; he didn't remember anything but his own name and the knowledge of the world where he was._

_Until it hit him._

_Fire, pink, summer…_

"…_N-natsu…?"_

"_Gerard! It's you!"_

_Natsu, unable to contain himself, pulled the man to a hug. Glad that he was back to normal… or to the good Gerard he got to know when he arrived. The azure-haired felt his eyes widening at the sudden hug, not expecting it, but he calmed down when more memories returned to him. He knew this guy, he was his friend._

"_N-natsu… what happened?"_

"_We're at the tower, we had a fight, the etherion became unstable and everything is going to blow up unless I -!"_

"_S-slow down… my head is still trying to grasp everything…"_

"…_Okay…in short, I'm going to merge with the etherion and save you."_

_Gerard's eyes widened at the decision of his friend, quickly standing up on his two feet to stop Natsu with a hand on his wrist, the pink-haired looking over his shoulders with a surprised expression._

"_N-no… I will do it…"_

_If possible, Natsu's eyes widened even more. He turned around and slapped the man's hand from his wrist, narrowing his gaze to make him understand that there was no way he will let him take that responsibility._

"_You need to live, Gerard, you suffered enough."_

"_That's not for you to decide! What I did… what my mind is showing me… these memories…! I did wrong, Natsu! I must do something to atone for my mistakes!"_

"_You will! You will live and make Erza happy! That'll be your atonement!"_

_Gerard growled unconsciously at the mention of the knight, narrowing his eyes in defiance._

"_I won't! You will be the one to make her happy!"_

"_No way, she wants you!"_

"_Blind fool! She wants you!"_

_A sudden collapse of the ground around them stopped their bickering._

_They met eyes, the same thought crossing their minds and escaping their mouths._

"_She wants us both."_

_They nodded and ran towards the pillar of etherion standing at the center of the room._

"_If what I remember is right, we have to concentrate on a single point going up, that will lead the energy to the deeps of the sky and prevent the explosion… we cannot think about anything else."_

"_Got it."_

_Giving one last nod, they raised their hands and pressed them against the crystalline surface, this one letting them pass after a moment and sending waves of pain to their bodies._

"_F-felt that?"_

"_Y-yeah…"_

"_T-the etherion is accepting us… push forward."_

_And they did as such._

_The ground continued to collapse, the roof was consumed by the fire and the shaking of the building became steady and stronger. When the floor in which they were standing fell to the deeps of burning tower, both their bodies were almost completely swallowed by the magic material._

"_Natsu…"_

"_Don't."_

"_B-but…!"_

"_Say it after we get out of this."_

_Natsu grinned to his friend, his first true friend, with a confidence that –because of the etherion connecting them or the strength behind the simple act- reached to Gerard and brought up a smile of his own._

_They closed their eyes and leaned back further into the substance, both concentrating their minds on the task._

_For Natsu and Gerard…_

…_consciousness slipped away._

* * *

Wendy replayed the story in her mind, analyzing the situation calmly over and over. She tried her best to not rationalize it all by assuming that, since Natsu survived, Gerard could be alive as well. There were certain facts to take into account. For starters, Natsu was a dragon-slayer, the abilities granted to him by the old magic allowed him to assimilate the etherion when he ate it and that gave him certain resilience against the material when he merged with it. But Gerard did not have that advantage; he was a normal human with powers equal to a Wizard Saint, true, but a normal wizard in the end. He could have been able to survive, since the etherion must have divided in between the two when they threw themselves in it, but she didn't know to what extents or costs.

The Sky Priestess heaved a sigh in defeat, she couldn't help.

"…I don't know, Natsu-san…"

"I see…"

"I need to see how much the etherion merged with him to know if there's a chance of saving him…"

Natsu lowered his head in thinking. He knew chances were slim, even more when he couldn't find the body of his friend. But he still had some hope. He couldn't and wasn't going to give up because of that. If he was alive and well, then Gerard was too. He just had to keep on looking along the others.

Shortly after recovering consciousness in Fairy Tail, Natsu asked the Master to help him communicate with someone through lacrima, deeming it as a very important matter. He was left alone in the infirmary and before anyone could come to disrupt him, he called someone that would be able to help him without revealing that he was alive and well in Fairy Tail.

Simon was shocked at first to see him, almost spluttering his secret to the others, as he was spending time with the other survivors of the Tower and Team Erza at the time in Akane Resort. He told Simon what happened, heard the other side of the story and how everyone believed him and Gerard to be dead, and later set himself to ask what he wanted to ask.

"_Can you border the coast and search for him, Simon?"_

"…_are you sure, Natsu? After all he had done… what he did to Erza, you and us… are you sure?"_

"…_I'm sure, Simon, he was back to normal when we merged with the tower, I have to search for him."_

"_Why don't you do it then?"_

_He did not fail to notice the resentment in the man's voice._

"_Because I cannot do it now… I'm still bedridden and I don't know how much time I'll be like this… chances are that I'll be in bed for 2 more days… during that time many things can happen. What if he's alive and captured? Or confused and wandering without aim?"_

"…_and if he's dead?"_

_Natsu's mouth released a defeated sigh, his face showing he didn't want to think about that possibility… but that he already had in mind what to do or how to react if that was the case._

"_If… if he's dead, then we will give him a proper good bye…"_

_Simon remained quiet for a few minutes, noticing that out of all of them, Natsu was the only one concerned for the well-being of their past jailer. Besides Erza, that is._

"_Alright…" _

_He nodded and showed a determined gaze to the pink-haired, he wasn't doing this for Gerard, no way in seven hells, he was doing this for the ones that care for him… those being the friends Simon cared about more than anything._

"_I'll do what I can…"_

So far, he got nothing. Simon told him they went from port to port around the coast facing the island where the tower previously was, and they didn't find anything, not a single trace of magic to even assume that he was alive at least.

Still, the dragon-slayer wasn't going to give up.

He cares for his friend that much.

* * *

Makarov was known for many things.

He was a man that commanded respect and admiration. He was a strong wizard despite his age, and his wisdom was at the top among the other guild masters of the country, even rivaling with the sages of the council, which was now reformed and running with the same rules of before the incident with the 3 younger members of it.

But there was one thing in the world that no one knew from Makarov.

And it wasn't a terrible secret, as a past betrayal or act of malice.

No.

Makarov was afraid of women's temper.

And rightfully so.

He was a pervert, yes; he would take the chance to peek at a woman when she's dressing, bathing or sleeping.

But he knew better than to temp luck and step forward when a female was in, bordering bloodthirsty, jealousy induced anger.

Which take us to the situation going on right now inside the very guild he was Master of.

"E-e-erza-san!"

"Scram."

He felt a cold shiver after hearing her voice again, the tone being so icy that it left Gray's magic in shame and the snowy tip of a high mountain like a field with flowers in a sunny spring day in comparison.

Erza has been untreatable ever since she learned that Ignifer wasn't coming back soon from his medical trek.

When he let the Master know that he was going to stay more days in Cait Shelter, everyone that knew him took it with some worry. Maybe his state was more complicated than what they had anticipated. Erza was about to ran all the way there to keep him company and make sure that he was alright if it wasn't because Mirajane and Gray stopped her from doing so.

Though, when Ignifer informed that he was alright and fully recovered… that was another matter altogether.

Understandable, he wanted to rest for some time before returning to the obligations waiting for him at the guild.

But when he told them that he wanted to stay because he wanted to share some time with the Sky Priestess…

The old Third Master of Fairy Tail wondered why the guild was still standing.

And more importantly! How was it that they were still alive?!

"Gramps…?"

"Yes, my boy?"

He was joined by Gray in the second floor, the only safe place away from the about to explode Titania. Everyone kept their distance, not daring to be near her and suffer a painful onslaught from her part. They wanted to live a bit longer so they could give Ignifer a piece of their minds for not been there to keep her at bay. Just when they most needed him, he was gone!

Mirajane was unfazed, as always, she kept on supplying the knight with her cakes and talking to her like nothing.

Ryota and Lucy took a job a few days after the Fantasia passed, for what they told them, they were going to be on that for a while.

Gray remained behind, out of worry and laziness. But he was now seriously berating himself for not taking his leave when he had the chance, if he did so now, the guilt of leaving her in that state will consume him and distract him from his mission. So he had another idea in mind.

"Can I go with Erza and bring the bastard back?"

Makarov quirked an eyebrow at the name he gave the armored mage, he knew not everyone in the guild liked the guy, but still…

"He said he will be back in a few days, cannot you trust his word?"

"No."

He looked at the boy with some surprise, such a quick answer. It was strange, so he nodded to let him continue.

"I know _who_ is he, gramps, that's why… he's the same bastard that brought Erza back to that damned tower and made her live her nightmares again, he put us all in danger and was close to kill her… I don't know why he's here now, but even if he's trying to mend his way, I won't forgive him…"

"Still…"

Makarov knew he wanted to say something more, and Gray's tired sigh proved him right.

"Still… Erza wants him with her, for reasons I don't know and don't want to know… so I'll bring his sorry ass back to the guild."

Makarov's scrutinizing eyes gazed upon the young mage's face, trying to see if he was really willing to do such thing for the woman. He saw his usually bored eyes spark with some determination, his fists clenched… yes, he wanted to do so, even if he despised the guy.

He let a long sigh escape him. These kids were such a bother.

He stood up from his sitting position on the railing and coughed on his fist to call the attention of everyone, even the infuriated Titania.

"Erza,"

Said mage perked her glaring eyes to the Master, softening them down a bit to nod and hear what he wanted to say. He felt the sweat pouring from his skin.

"Y-you and Gray will go to Cait Shelter and ensure that Ignifer is doing fine,"

Several eyes widened while the woman's narrowed.

"If he's recovered and ready to go, you'll bring him with you, there's a meeting I need to attend to in a few days and I want him to watch over the guild while I'm gone. Understood?"

Everyone turned their necks slowly to watch the woman in question, flinching in fear and almost pissing their pants when she stood up from her stool and walked towards the door with her aggressive aura increased tenfold. A berserker smirk playing a way to her lips as her eyes glowed a deathly red.

"Understood, Master."

Makarov regretted almost instantly his decision.

And also regretted what was about to happen to his advisor when Gray and Erza caught up with him.

* * *

Back in the forests of Nirvana, Natsu felt a shiver run down his spine, as well as a great feeling of foredoom invade his body. He stopped dead on his tracks and looked down with some sweat forming on his forehead, his body shaking enough to raise suspicion from Wendy and Charle.

"Natsu-san…? Are you okay? You look pale…"

"…I…have the feeling that something terrible is going to happen…ever felt that?"

"N-no…?"

"Hmmm, it surely is something related to that woman of Fairy Tail."

Natsu could only nod slowly at Charle's intuitive remark, and pray that it wasn't the case.

He could only pray. Inhaling a huge amount of air, he nodded to himself and continued down the road. Wanting to find that damn thing Gerard told him to look after the first time he was there and return to the guild in Magnolia before he suffered a horrible dead. He chatted with Wendy and her cat a bit more to pass the time, and ease his nervousness, knowing from experience that most of the time these kind of ancient stuff were well hidden and deep in the most unbelievable of places.

There was a long road ahead and he wasn't going to get the boredom get to him.

Unbeknown to them, a figure watched them from afar.

Its eyes glinting with scorn and resentment after seeing the face of the man wearing armor, it had been following then since early in the morning and was waiting for a moment to strike when the thought of catching them off guard during the night won over its anxiousness.

It, waited a long time to exact it punishment on the man.

It, could wait a bit more.

It, knew that revenge was sweeter when it was serve cold.

So, it, followed them quietly.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**Not a long chapter after the long waiting, I know, but I have been pretty much busy again and I was unable to write a lot these past days.  
**

**As you can see, the OS arc is not going to happen... yet, and another plot is about to unfold regarding our friend Natsu and his past as Luminer.  
**

**Change too much? *chuckles* Thanks to Arakan7 for being an awesome beta and brainstorming comrade.  
**

**Now then... how will I continue with this?  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	13. The Shortest Straw

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

**Chapter 12: The Shortest Straw.**

* * *

"Let's say, it indeed is a terrifying place to sleep in…" he started to talk after a long awkward silence, addressing the small girl he was carrying on his back. "…would you stop shaking and get inside?"

"N-no!" The girl shrieked in answer. She wrapped her arms around the man's neck and closed her eyes. Her fear was noticeable by the distance.

"Come on, it's not that bad…" he kept on trying to convince her. He even took a tentative step forward.

"I said no!" That stopped him. Oh, great. She was about to cry. "C-can't we just go back, Natsu-san?"

"Wendy…" Natsu shook his head at Wendy's impossible request. "You saw how much time it took us to reach this place, we can't go back."

"U-uh…"

"Sorry, Wendy, but it will just be for tonight." He reassured her, moving forward without hearing an answer. It was just a scary-looking tree with a base that had a hole on one side of the trunk, enough for the 3 of them to sleep comfortably during the night. What was so wrong with it?

"Light a fire to illuminate the place, that will help her overcome her fear." Carla suggested with a scoff, not believing her friend to be such a frightened cat when they were in the company of a more than capable wizard.

"Got it." Natsu nodded and crouched, letting his companion get off his back so he could do as told. He searched for a few branches, cut some from the trees nearby and used some of his magic to start a good fire. "There you have it."

With the campsite set and the guard in charge of the only battle-capable wizard, they talked about what they saw during their crossing of the dark forest and their thoughts about the growing intensity of the dark aura around them. What could bring forth such a heavy atmosphere? How was it powered? Was it in control of someone?

They threw ideas around those questions until tiredness got to the girl and her cat, and they fell asleep with Natsu standing up to do his duty. He summoned his helmet back in place, in case of someone appearing and recognizing his face. He didn't have a trouble in staying awake for most of the night and the next day. He had many missions from both Gerard and the Council in where he had to do that.

But, what really bothered him about those missions was…

"I'm growing bored of your glares,"

…people staring at him from afar as if he hadn't noticed their presences.

He turned around to look at the top of a tree not far away from them, resting a hand on his sword's hilt as precaution.

"Show yourself."

As a response, an arrow flew in his direction.

"I've seen-…" Natsu unsheathed his sword and swatted the arrow aside, going to comment on how many times he stopped such a thing before, to be surprised at seen 5 more arrows heading towards him. He smirked behind his helmet. "That's what I'm talking about."

He swatted 4 of them and dodged the last one by stepping to the left, away from Wendy and Carla, but another 5 arrows were expecting him. The Dragon Slayer slashed 3 in an instant and withdrew his shield from his back to stop the other 2 that fell to the ground with their pointy ends dulled.

A clapping sound echoed in the small clearing.

"Great!" A voice, coming from the tree, said. "As expected from you!"

"From me?" Natsu asked tentatively, not knowing if the voice was talking about his secret identity or his new post in Fairy Tail. Many people knew of his new position as the Master's Advisor after the interview with Jason got published in Weekly Sorcerer's Special about the guild. All those crazy people were looking to know the extents of his strength and test them by themselves, surely pretending to gain fame by defeating someone with a strong position and a magic that wasn't too much of a challenge.

The magic he gave out as the one he was using (Magic Swordsmanship) was strong, but not enough to defeat experienced wizards with abilities commanding the elements or having other effects over the opponents.

So challenges came at his doorstep ever since at all times.

He managed to keep them secret from the others by making the fights outside Magnolia, but, eventually, the Master realized and ordered him to inform him when things like that happened. Too worried about the new member of his guild to let him take challenges that might be too much for him after the situations he went through.

Luckily, he had few during the short reprieve he had before Laxus tried to takeover and the week staying at Cait Shelter.

And also, none of those challenges were because of his past as Luminer the councilman.

His secret identity was safe, for now.

"Yeah! I mean, you're Fairy Tail's Advisor!" So it was his new position, huh? "It would be funny if the Advisor of one of the Ten Wizard Saints could not defeat a few normal arrows."

"Ah, true," what he was hearing was annoying as the other many taunts people threw at him in the past, but he had a better control of his temper now. And the taunts weren't really getting to him. "I would laugh my lungs out if someone's beaten by some pussy's arrows."

"…" The voice remained quiet.

Natsu smirked when a shower of arrows headed in his direction, and moved quickly to dodge them while trying to take the fight to another place, swatting or blocking some that were close to hit him. He would not forgive himself if his friends were hurt because of him. Not after losing one like he did.

"Hey! Stop!" The voice yelled close on his heels, not stopping its barrage on the armored mage. "Come and fight me like a true Knight!"

'A true knight, huh? Tch! Too bad Titania is not here, she would have liked this fight.' He shook his head when the image of the woman stayed a little more than what he liked it to be. Focusing on the moment, he could see a bigger clearing ahead. He rushed there with more magic being applied to his legs, giving him more speed.

"Ignifer!"

'This place's perfect.' He was not too far or too close. He could see the campsite from there and avoid getting Wendy and Carla in the middle of his fight. Or stop his opponent from using them as an advantage. Natsu turned around in the spacious place surrounded by trees and big roots, coming to see his enemy for the first time. He was shocked. This opponent wasn't too much of threat now that he looked at him. "Uh… I thought you… were going to be… a little older."

"What do you mean?" A boy with short spiky brown hair styled upwards and red ayes asked with a hint of annoyance. He looked no older than 14. He was wearing a simple mud-colored leather vest and black leather trousers with furs on the front of the legs. No shoes. He was standing on his bare feet with a strange bow on his hands. There were no signs of him carrying arrows with him. "I'm still strong enough to defeat someone like you."

"I wonder." Natsu continued to stare at the strange bow. He saw something similar in some book Gerard forced him to read when he was under his teachings in the Tower. "Who are you, kid? And where are your parents?"

"Don't treat me like a baby!" The boy's expression grew somber at the last question. He raised his bow and pointed it at the armored mage with magic gathering inside the weapon. The Dragon Slayer raised an eyebrow at the occurrence. Was he going to shoot him with magical arrows now? "And don't you ever mention my parents again!"

The bow gathered more magic and, before Natsu could react, it showered him with another volley of arrows. But these arrows were bathed with magic, thus making them sharper and dangerous, even for the armor made by the Iron Dragon Slayer.

'What the…?!' He brought his shield up and used it to cover the upper part of his body, completely disregarding his legs and clenching his teeth at the piercing pain. He forgot to crouch down and cover his legs. He wasn't accustomed to fight with sword and shields, it wasn't his style. He only fought with fists and kicks in the past. "Ugh…!"

"Ha! See? Don't underestimate me!" The boy jumped in joy at his accomplishment, awed that he actually managed to harm the man, and changing his attitude to a serious one in less than a second when pointing his bow at the man again. "Surrender and give me your sword!"

"M-my sword?" Natsu lowered his shield to look at the boy in the eyes. Why would he want his sword? Was it to have it as a trophy of sorts? No one ever asked for his belongings, it was more like they were looking for his dead body at the end of the fights. Whatever the case, he wasn't going to surrender. He wasn't going to give his sword to a child or lose against one. But he couldn't fight against one either. The boy frowned when he saw the man shaking his head. "I'm sorry but, I cannot give you my sword, not to a kid."

"I told you to stop treating me like one!" Another volley was sent. Natsu covered himself; this time crouching to protect his legs from suffering the same pain again and adding more to the previous one. He gave his all to keep the shield together, clenching his fists and teeth to endure the strong barrage while this time he heard the boy pleading. "Give me your sword! I don't want to kill you!"

"I told you! I won't give you my sword!" He sent more arrows, this time changing the simple magic bathing them to elemental energies ranging from air to water. The kid was strong, but not strong enough in the armored mage's opinion. He still needed to work a bit more.

"Then fight already! You're not supposed to be this weak!" He dispelled his bow and raised a fist to Natsu, urging him to get up and retaliate. "A true Knight would fight, no matter the opponent!"

"T-that's right… A true Knight would fight, but I won't…" Natsu moved his shield from his front and rested it on his side. His breathing was turning heavy, the injuries were not enough to kill him, but they burned like his own fire. "Go home, kid, I won't fight you."

"W-why?!" The boy stepped closer to the kneeling man, glaring at his helmet with tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Is it because I'm a kid?!"

"Yeah, I'll not fight a kid with my strength." Natsu looked up to meet the glaring eyes of the boy. "You'll not survive."

"Test me!" The boy shook his head to stop the tears and ran back to his previous position with his bow ready and pointing at the armored mage, scowling in concentration. "I will make you eat your words!"

"…" What could Natsu do? Face him and try to defeat him without doing any damage? Or show him the differences in strength? The Dragon Slayer smiled weakly. The second option didn't sound too bad. "First, let me show you, just what are you truly trying to fight so eagerly."

Natsu forced his legs to raise him up again, the pain making him flinch a bit. He sheathed his sword and left his shield on his back, much to the boy's confusion, and concentrated on what he had to do. It was a long time since he used any other kind of magic besides Dragon Slayer or Magic Swordsmanship.

'High speed will be enough…'

"W-what are you…?" The question died on the boy's mouth when Ignifer disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of him with a fist held close to his surprised face. His red eyes widened. Such speed wasn't the kind a Magic Swordsman should have; he would have been hit before he even had notice it. He stood staring at the fist with his mouth slightly open and his face pale, managing to only form to words in his shock. "A-a-a-ah…"

"This is what I meant, boy." Natsu withdrew his fist and stood shakily upright to cross his arms. His eyes locked with the boy's that was looking up to him. "I'm not a true Knight. Magic Swordsmanship is not the only power I have with me, and that makes me deathlier than others of my kind." He shook his head. "Leave or stay. I don't care." Since he wasn't getting an answer from the awestruck boy, he walked pass him to the campsite. He would have to wake Wendy up to heal his wounds. "Just don't look for a fight with someone stronger again."

He had no answer to his words…

"S-so cool!"

…better said, he had the one he wasn't expecting.

"W-what?" Natsu stopped at the loud cry from the boy, looking over his shoulder to come face to face with the worshipping eyes of his previous opponent. He was fussing about 'how awesome' it was to have been so close to be killed by a strong wizard like he was. "H-hey! That's not something to be happy about!"

"Aye!" Another voice called from the trees behind him, almost giving Natsu a heart-attack. When he turned to see what it was, he blinked thrice at the creature with wings floating close to his face with a smile and wide eyes. Was it really another flying and talking cat? "You called me?"

"H-happy! What are you doing here?!" The boy stopped his fussing and panicky ran to grab the cat by the tail, his hands stretching the sides of the feline's head while lecturing him about how wrong it was to appear when no one called for him specifically. "He was talking about my mood! Not you!"

"Roy! You're so mean!" Perfect, the cat was now crying waterfalls.

"I'll leave you two to talk things out," Natsu sighed tiredly and moved to continue his departure. He wasn't a babysitter or anything close to that. At least, not for kids he doesn't know. "Bye."

"H-hey! Wait for us!"

'Oh, great…' He groaned when the kid and his cat started to tail behind him.

* * *

_In Cait Shelter…_

"H-hey! Let go of our Master!"

"Stop her!"

"Y-yeah!"

They were all rooted to the floor by a deathly glare.

"U-ugh…!"

A man sighed tiredly.

"Erza," Gray casually walked to stand next to the enraged woman holding the Master of that guild by the throat and frowned. Was it necessary to go and punch every single person that stood in their way? Even when they had nothing to do with their task? He will never know. 'Women…' He let out another tired sigh. "Let him go, he won't be able to talk if you hold him like that…"

He was freaked out, as well as the mages inside the guild, when she blew the doors open and lunged in between the mass of wizards to grab the surprised short old man by the neck. He wasn't expecting her to do that. Though, he should have seen it coming. Every time they stopped to rest or to procure a new means of transport, she asked for the armored mage they were looking for, and if the answer was a negative…

He wondered if the hospital bills would be sent to their mailboxes or to Makarov's.

Either way, he didn't want to know. He knew the bills would be more than what any of them could pay.

"N-nabura…" the dizzy old man muttered over and over again; still too shocked to address the situation going on around him or form comprehensible words.

"Master Roubaul," Erza spoke again, now trying with a more conventional, and less aggressive, way as she should have done from the beginning. Though, Gray quickly noticed her anger was still present when she didn't apologize or showed any kind of remorse for what she did. "We are looking for a member of our guild that has been staying here for the past weeks."

"N-nabura…?" The man was still dazed. Erza clenched her free hand into a fist. No answer, huh?

"H-hey!" The ice wizard desperately called the attention of the others, knowing well what was going to follow after the delayed answer. "Do you know where that guy is?!"

"U-uh? He left earlier with Wendy and Carla," Gray flinched when Erza's aggressive aura spiked at hearing a second female being mentioned. "They went to explore the forests to the west…"

"Thank you," the re-quip user hurriedly turned on her boots and stomped her way to the broken doors. "Gray, let's go."

"I-I'm coming!" He rushed behind her, stopping by the door to apologize for the damages. "S-sorry, guys! We'll pay for this later…!"

"Gray." The voice of the woman sounded impatient.

"I-I'm going!"

* * *

_In the depths of the forest…_

"Where are they?!" Natsu yelled in anger when he returned to the campsite and didn't find the 2 females travelling with him. He turned to face the boy called Roy standing behind him and shook him strongly by the shoulders, demanding an immediate answer. "Spit it out! Now!"

"W-w-w-w-we don't know!" The boy answered the best he could, but the shaking was making his brain jump all over inside his skull. When the man let go of him to check the place for clues of his friends, he fell on his butt with a panicked Happy trying to make him recover.

Natsu inspected the place carefully. There were no traces of the girls waking up and leaving, nor a sign of someone intruding the place. Whoever took them, it was someone strong and stealthy. He started to think of who might have taken her, knowing beforehand that evil people were after her healing powers and any of them could have kidnapped her.

'But who?' There were so many dark guilds and wizards. Where could he start?

"Isn't this ironic?"

He snapped out of his thinking when he heard a voice chuckling at his situation. He turned around and saw Roy and Happy as confused as him.

"You lost something important for you to someone else, as several people lost something important for them to you." The voice continued to talk, its presence well hidden from Natsu's good hearing because of the echoes in the great forest. "How does it feel?"

"Like hell…" the armored mage answered between gritted teeth, trying to stay calm despite the situation. A personal vendetta because of something he did in the past? He was expecting to avoid those after hiding his true identity behind the armor.

"I-Ignifer-san…? What's that voice?" Happy asked frightened, not liking the shivers the voice sent up and down his spine.

"Ignifer?" The voice asked with mocking shock, laughing hysterically after seeing the cat shivering in fear. "So they don't know who you really are?"

"No, they don't," Natsu growled unconsciously, shaking Roy out of his daze. He was losing his temper to the voice that knew of him and took his friends as hostages. "And they don't need to know."

"Oh, I believe they do." The voice said evilly. Its' scorn for the Dragon Slayer now evident for everyone in the campsite but the man that was constantly addressed. Who now managed to find out where the owner of the voice was. "Lying is not good, and you know this better than anyone."

"Whatever." The voice wasn't giving him any hints as to whom from his past could it be, and if it was, he couldn't connect them to his doings as a councilmen and double agent. Natsu raised his arms and clenched his armored fists. Flames came to them and he swung them as fireballs towards a tree to his right, hearing a scream of surprise that confirmed he hit the owner of the voice. He smiled behind the helmet, feeling satisfied. "There you are…"

"Yeah, I'm here." The voice answered without any kind of emotion.

"Ignifer-san!" Roy warned him when he saw a bright flash coming from the same tree.

"Taste your fire!" Much to Natsu's surprise, the same fireballs he threw came back at full speed. He grabbed hold of a branch that was at his reach above him and dodged them before releasing his hold to stand ready for another strike. "Oh~? Dammit, I missed." The voice complained with a fake depressed tone. It was using Fire Magic and that wasn't good. He wasn't fully recovered yet to eat fire again. "But it's good, we won't fight now… I have other plans, especially made for you."

"Plans?" The voice snorted at the curious and annoyed tone of the question.

"Oh yes! You should hear them!" The snort turned to an amused laugh. It was having the time of its life at seeing the armored mage so powerless. "Or maybe see them? I don't know…"

"Stop messing around and just tell me where the hell you took Wendy and Carla!" His flames engulfed his entire body, much to the surprise of the boy and the cat hugging each other in fear behind him. They never saw someone lighting itself aflame and surviving the feat. "Answer me!"

"Don't get so _fired up, Ignifer,_ because I won't," the voice started to fade, feeling it accomplished what it came to do. "It will be more fun to see you searching for them all~ night…"

"Fuck you!"

"Sure! Why not?" It laughed again. "Bye bye... _Ignifer…_"

Natsu stared in the direction of the fading-laughing voice and clenched his fists. It took Wendy and Carla, probably to anger him and lower his guard, and even if he knew this, he couldn't help the rage building up inside of him. No one touches his friends or harms them. Not after what he saw. Not after what he suffered.

"Ignifer-san…?" Roy tried to call the man out of his thoughts, discerning that the voice's presence was getting farther and farther away. He stood up and dusted off his clothes, getting his bow ready with Happy watching everything with worried eyes. "It is leaving, we must follow it."

"No," Natsu answered sharply. "I must."

"B-but that voice's owner took your friends because of me!" The boy pushed, not wanting to be left behind when he was the cause of what happened. If the man haven't had been fighting him, the kidnapping would have been avoided. "I'll not stay or leave! I'll follow you and help you!"

"Roy…" Happy tugged one of the furs from the boy's pants to make him change his mind. The armored mage didn't look the kind to let kids interfere with matter of grown people… or matters that were personal for him.

"Do as you like," Natsu started to walk in the direction of the voice, waving a hand in sign of good-bye. "I'll not come to save you 2 if you find yourselves in trouble."

"Who said we'd need saving?!" The boy shouted angrily, following the armored mage despite his warnings with Happy on toe. "We're going to help you! And kick some asses in the way!"

"Whatever." Even if the boy was seriously annoying him to no end with his constant proclamations and shouts and promises, Natsu couldn't help but smile fondly. Roy reminded him of his brash younger days, when Gerard was struggling to get some restraint into his mind. 'Let's see what he felt when trying to beat some sense into me…'

And so, they marched, to the north-west…

…deeper into the forests of Nirvana.

* * *

_A week later…_

"Master," Mirajane greeted with a small frown, looking at the short man with some concern in her pretty eyes. "You returned earlier."

"Yes, the meeting was cut short this time." Makarov answered grimly. The meeting was not like the others before; this time, more urgent matters were addressed and discussed in the 2 days it lasted, coming to a definite decision that would set record in history. He looked around the place, finding it somewhat stable and clean unlike previous times, and then looked back at the barmaid again. "Did any of them return?"

"No, and that's what I wanted to speak with you," Mira went to her post behind the bar, where Cana was using her cards to find their missing members while at her sides Ryota and Lucy eyed the cards with curiosity and seriousness. Makarov sighed and hopped on the counter to look at the brunette groan in frustration when the last card she revealed was the same as the previous time. "We haven't been able to locate them. Ignifer, Erza and Gray are all someplace where Cana's magic doesn't have any effect."

"The cards keep on telling me they are in a dark place, but do not specifies where," Cana muttered sourly under her breath, grabbing the cards and starting the process again. "They don't even tell in which direction they are! They just say they are fine, in a hurry, with company and in a dark place…"

"According to Roubaul, Ignifer left with 2 of his members 7 days ago…" Makarov started to tell what he heard during the meeting, grimacing at the part where he had to tell that Erza burst her way into Cait Shelter when looking for the missing Advisor. "…that was later at night, Gray and she left to follow after them but they didn't return either."

"Something happened to them; that's for sure…" Ryota concluded with a deep scowl, narrowing his eyes when thinking how much trouble Ignifer aka Natsu was causing them with his stay as a Fairy Tail member.

"W-we should look for them, right?" Lucy frowned as well. Ignifer was lost and Gray and Erza were after him. If what she heard during the incident with Laxus was true, if Ignifer was in fact Natsu/Luminer, then having the Knight meeting the former Councilman again was not for the best. And she knew Gray heard it too, that only added more worry to her thoughts.

Still, why would Erza want to bring the guy back? She was witness of the closeness they had before and during the ordeal at the Tower of Heaven, but still… there's so much one can forgive.

After all the things Lucy saw of Erza following her joining to the guild, and the admiration she feels for a woman like her, seeing her reduced to a crying mess was not something she wanted to witness ever again. Natsu was the cause of Erza's pain together with Gerard. That alone was enough to make her wish the guy had died along his boss during the explosion at the Tower.

But. Erza cares for him despite this, and went after him when he wasn't coming back from his healing trek.

Lucy would have to swallow her anger against the guy for the Knight's sake, and look for him together with the rest of their friends.

These same thoughts ran through the red-eyed wizard next to her, only that the man was feeling more inclined to rip the Fire Dragon Slayer to shredders after finding him and keep Erza away from him. He didn't know her for as long as the rest of the guild, but he still cared greatly for her. She was a good girl. What Ignifer, Natsu, Luminer or whatever did to her was unforgivable and had every right to be answered with whatever kind of painful punishment he could deliver to him.

"We will, Lucy, we will." Makarov nodded, sensing the thoughts running through the minds of the youngsters around him, and pointed a finger to her and Ryota. "You 2 will search for them during the mission I'm about to send you out to."

"…explain, Master." The Iron God Slayer requested, seeing he did not know what happened during the meeting and what mission was this one they were about to be sent to. The old man coughed on his fist and asked Mira to explain about the organization of the Magic World, taking time to make special mention of the dark guilds and their workings.

The Balam Alliance being the main topic.

"We have decided to launch a united front against them, an alliance of our own!" Makarov revealed to the guild as a whole, shrugging away their baffled expressions and questions to continue with the explanation of the Guild Masters' plans. "First, there's Oracion Seis to take out. They are plotting something that'll surely endanger everyone if not taken care of early, so we are sending teams from 4 of our guilds to locate and stop them."

"And you wanted to send Team Erza…" Mira spoke after a long silence, seeing the old man nod to her words. "…but since they are not here…"

"Y-you aren't going send us…? Are you…?" Lucy was shaken to the core after she heard how strong the enemy was. A guild made of 6 members alone was certainly something to fear, especially if their members can take a guild each head-on and win.

"You're also sending us because they disappeared close to the place where we'll gather with the other guilds, right?" Ryota pointed out, feeling relieved that the mission wasn't going to take them away from their current concern. Cait Shelter was next to the forest where Oracion Seis was spotted doing some unknown things last time. Makarov nodded again. Ryota grinned and hit his open palm with a fist. It was too good to be truth. "We'll search for them and stop that dark guild at the same time."

"Exactly my thoughts." The old man concluded with his eyes close, hopping off the counter and heading to the second floor and his office. "Leave as soon as you have gathered what you think you'll need for the mission. I cannot care less for those Oracion Seis when our family is in danger."

Lucy and Ryota nodded firmly to his words.

If the dark guild was close to where Ignifer, Erza and Gray were last seen, it was even more urgent to look for them.

A guild that's conformed of 6 members alone is no joke, as it is not an alliance of 4 guilds to take it out.

"We'll leave today!" The Iron God Slayer grabbed the blonde by the wrist and dashed out of the guild at full speed. Not wanting to delay a single second. "C'mon, Lucy!"

"H-hey! W-wait! I need to take a shower first!"

* * *

_In another place..._

"Is he still there?" A distorted voice asked to a group of figures sitting around it; the dark forest around them serving as cover while they took time to rest and recover their lost energies. They have been there for the past week, fighting for their lives without a second to spare.

"I can't feel his presence…" A young voice answered first, looking through the corner of its eyes to see if it spotted anything out of place in their surroundings. "…maybe he left."

"Unlikely," A woman's voice refuted clenching a sword in her hand strongly. "He has been hunting us for the past 5 days; we haven't rest since then, it will be stupid of him to let us go when we are easy prey."

"True," A voice holding an icy edge to it agreed. "We don't have much more strength to continue, if he attacks again…"

"We will show him not to mess with us." The distorted voice finished before anything discouraging could be heard by the others. The armored man, owner of the distorted voice, stood up and clenched his cracked sword strongly. The light coming from the above showing his armor donning several cracks and missing parts. Luckily, his helmet was mostly unscathed. "I'll not let him kill me when there's still strength in me to continue."

"Ignifer is right!" The young voice jumped to its feet. The light revealing a tattered mud-colored vest and black trousers being worn by a brown haired kid, no older than 14, that had several cuts and bruises in his arms and face. He nodded firmly to the words and summoned a bow in his left hand. "We can still give him a fight!"

"Aye!" A blue cat that was hiding behind the boy's back chirped in encouragement.

"I will not fall here, not after everything that has happened," The woman's voice said rising to stand on her feet. The light revealed bright scarlet hair to the others, which was dulled because of the week spent in the wilderness. She was still wearing her armor, or what was left of it, with pride while meeting eyes with the armored mage in front of her. "We have many things to discuss first."

"And I have to beat you up for good." The fourth voice added with a growl, standing up to show a black spiky haired guy wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He lost the shirt by himself, not because of their hunter. Though, he did sport many injuries and cuts made from blades and spells. "When we return, I will make your life an everyday nightmare."

"Let's concentrate on getting out of here first…" Ignifer calmly ordered the wizards around him. He turned on his heels and tried to give a step forward, but a sword almost beheading him forced him to duck and jump back with the rest of the group.

Their determination shattered when they saw who the aggressor was.

"H-he found us…!?" Gray snarled in disbelief, eyeing the blue form standing with its sword held in a slashing motion.

"How…?!" Erza was next to Ignifer making sure he wasn't hurt from the surprise attack. It seemed that the blade managed to grace a small part of his armor at the neck's height.

"I didn't sense him near! How did he do it?!" Roy held his bow and pointed at their hunter, shaking in fear at its presence.

"I was here all along, Fairy Tail," the figure answered with a distorted voice resembling Ignifer's. He had armor similar to him, and held the same weapons, but this one was blue and instead of Dragon parts or decorations, it held something like Heaven motifs in a golden color. He straightened his stance and sheathed his sword, much to his preys' surprise. In their past encounters, he never left them a moment of respite after finding them. "I will allow you to leave. I've accomplished my task, and Master calls for my presence."

"What do you mean?" Gray growled beneath his question, narrowing his eyes at what he was hearing and not believing a single word.

"Exactly what I said, Ice wizard." The blue armored figure said calmly, standing still while talking despite the deathly glares and killing intent he was receiving. "I will leave now; I suggest you do the same."

"Not before you answer some questions, Siegfried," Erza let go of Ignifer and stood with her charred sword ready, her eyes boring holes in the enemy's head, her words speaking the name he gave as an introduction when they faced him 5 days ago for the first time. "Why were you hunting us? Who's your Master?"

"That's something I cannot reveal." The figure turned and started to walk away, uncaring of his exposed back and the killing intent his preys were leaking. "Go south, you'll find a road in that direction."

"Like hell I'm letting you go!" Ignifer lighted his body aflame and lunged to attack with a diagonal slash, only to meet air in the place where blue armored mage previously stood. He jerked his head up to see where the man disappear to and found the tip of a sword touching his forehead. He growled. "You bastard…!"

"I'll not repeat myself again; leave." And he vanished in the sound of a whisper, which increased the anger of those he hunted down for the past week. Ignifer roared and slashed a tree standing close to him, cutting it in half and making it fall after losing its support. The other remained quiet, understanding their comrade's frustration.

But they had to take advantage of this and listen to their enemy, even if that gave their pride a fatal blow.

They'll leave, recover and come back to return the favor.

That much was certain.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**A/N: Two things. The voice that took Wendy and Carla and Siegfried are 2 different people. More will be explained in the next chapter. And, if the chapter seemed kind of rushed, it is with intention. That'll give the OS arc a little more spice with the aspect of uncertainty and cluelessness at every part.  
**

**To other things: I heard and read here and there that xchrispx510 is looking to make his story THE NatZa story of the archive and Shedauwz wishes to give him a bit of competition. To that... I can only wish them good luck and the best in their goals. My time has ended. I no longer search for favorites, followers or reviews. I only care to expand this archive the most I can and finishing my stories before anything in real life comes and strikes me so hard that I cannot continue with the road towards my own goal. Make your stories the best of the archive, my fellows. I will make sure to give NatZa 20 pages of the pairing, no matter what or how long it takes me.  
**

**Enjoy this read and Rebellion. I will try to publish the next chapters soon, if work doesn't get in the way too much.  
**

**Saludos.  
**


	14. Announcement

**From Kuroyagi:**

_Damn this. I'm sorry to inform you all of this decision of mine when almost all of my stories are going to Hiatus, but I have concluded that this story is taking a turn for the worst. Especially after the flash-forward to the Fighting Festival. I will change this situation. How? I will have to rewrite the whole story. Yes. The whole story from scratch._

_I know this looks like a kick to the groin, but it is the best I can do for you all. I don't want to read a messy story and I'm sure it is the same with you._

_Be patient and in a few days I'll have the first chapters organized and re-published._

_Just be patient._

**Saludos.**


	15. The Frayed Ends of Sanity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**A change of scene.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Frayed Ends of Sanity.**

_A week ago…_

Natsu stared in the direction of the fading-laughing voice and clenched his fists. It took Wendy and Carla, probably to anger him and lower his guard, and even if he knew this, he couldn't help the rage building up inside of him. No one touches his friends or harms them. Not after what he saw. Not after what he suffered.

"Ignifer-san…?" Roy tried to call the man out of his thoughts, discerning that the voice's presence was getting farther and farther away. He stood up and dusted off his clothes, getting his bow ready with Happy watching everything with worried eyes. "It is leaving, we must follow it."

"No," Natsu answered sharply. "I must."

"B-but that voice's owner took your friends because of me!" The boy pushed, not wanting to be left behind when he was the cause of what happened. If the man haven't had been fighting him, the kidnapping would have been avoided. "I'll not stay or leave! I'll follow you and help you!"

"Roy…" Happy tugged one of the furs from the boy's pants to make him change his mind. The armored mage didn't look the kind to let kids interfere with matter of grown people… or matters that were personal for him.

"Do as you like," Natsu started to walk in the direction of the voice, waving a hand in sign of good-bye. "I'll not come to save you two if you find yourselves in trouble."

"Who said we'd need saving?!" The boy shouted angrily, following the armored mage despite his warnings with Happy on toe. "We're going to help you! And kick some asses in the way!"

"Whatever." Even if the boy was seriously annoying him to no end with his constant proclamations and shouts and promises, Natsu couldn't help but smile fondly. Roy reminded him of his brash younger days, when Gerard was struggling to get some restraint into his mind. 'Let's see what he felt when trying to beat some sense into me…'

And so, they marched, to the north-west…

…deeper into the forests of Nirvana.

* * *

_The next day…_

Having restlessly followed the owner of that heinous voice for most of the night to wherever it was heading in between the dense mass of trees; Natsu, Happy and Roy took time for a small break now before the day moved forward from midday. They wouldn't be in condition to fight if they were weary. When considering the kind of magic their enemy had, Natsu wanted some time, quietness and stillness for his body to adjust completely to its old healed state, so he could eat fire again and attack the owner of the voice without holding back an inch.

"Happy," Roy called for his best friend, a finger pointing to the bright sky above them while he checked the insides of his backpack. "Look around and tell us if you see anything."

"Aye!" The cat didn't need to be told twice. He knew what he had to do. His wings sprung from his back and, with a single fluttering of them, he was skyrocketed to the skies, stopping after reaching a good height to see the points of interests around the camp. "U-uh… there are mountains everywhere!" There were trees in every direction, and mountains closing some passages here and there. The forest and they were in a valley of sorts. He spotted a few rivers too, and having traveled with the boy for so long taught him to take note of those seriously. "There's a river over there!"

"Where?!" Roy yelled back, careful to not wake the armored mage sleeping close to him. In the midst of their banter, Ignifer opportunely fell asleep against the trunk of a tree, without a single care in the world. When the cat pointed in one direction, Roy gave a thumb up to Happy and began a race to the location with the thing he wanted from his pack on his hands. "Great! Good job, Happy!" The cat gave a cheeky grin at the compliment, seeing him running off. "Look after Ignifer-san!"

"U-uh?! O-okay!" The cat flew down as fast as he went up and landed on a rock close to the Advisor, watching him sleep quietly with his arms crossed and his head tilted down. He got a few careful steps closer and, tentatively, poked his legs once, seeing him stir a bit and mumble some incoherencies before turning his head to face the other way. He continued to sleep. 'Weird…' Now that he thought about it; the man never took his armor off, not even to rest. Though, he did remember seeing him without his helmet the night before, when he was talking with his companions, a moment before the fight between Roy and him started. The cat scowled in thinking, a color flashing in his hazed memories from the night prior, the dimly lighted clearing at that time not helping his eyes all that much. 'Pink hair… where did I see it?'

"Okay, some water for the road and we're done!" Roy told himself cheerily holding a dozen of canteens on his hand, tied together by the middle that had a line going to his wrist to keep it close, and throwing them into the water, seeing them sink slowly but surely towards the rocky bottom. The containers would take a while to be filled with the fresh liquid, and not having anything better to do while waiting, he dropped leisurely on the grass and stared at the morning sky above with his mind replaying the events of the night before.

Ignifer was strong; enough to protect his spot as the Advisor of the strongest guild of the country and be the Master of his own guild even, but why hide all that power? Happy and he quietly followed him for a couple weeks now, and they never saw him get that speed or show such leniency towards his other opponents, those matches called from people wanting to overthrow him, that never stood a chance.

Was he really that honorable to not fight against a kid with his full strength?

'That's…' his eyes clouded. '…so like Father…'

His gaze dropped to the grass below with his eyes half-closed when a memory came to the surface; he didn't want to think about it now, not now when he was needed with his senses in full alert. He preferred to do any other thing than thinking back about _that, _likedistracting himself by counting how many fishes were swimming current up in front of him until the canteens were filled. '4… 5… 8…' He pulled them out with a strong jerk of his arm and checked that they were full, much to his joy and anxiousness to return to the company of the armored mage and the cat. He grabbed the caps of the bottles kept into his pockets and started to close them one by one… unbeknown of the presences closing in on him from behind. "He will surely appreciate this…!"

Roy let his imagination run wild; it didn't hurt if it was once in a while, right?

"_Good job, kid." Ignifer nodded in approval. "You knew what to do without need to be ordered around."_

"_Ah, Ignifer-san!" he scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "It's not that great!"_

"_It is, kid," the armored mage rested a hand on his shoulder, calling for his complete attention. "And this makes me remember; Master Dreyar wanted me to find a promising wizard to join our ranks."_

"_I-Ignifer-san?"_

"_I believe you fulfill the qualifications needed," he knelled before the shocked brunette. "Do you wish to join Fairy Tail, Roy?"_

"Y-yes! Of course I want to join Ignifer-san's guild!" Jumping around in rejoice, he did not notice, the figure watching him intently when he let out the name of the Advisor out loud.

"Ignifer you say?" The figure behind him asked coldly, stopping the boy in his tracks to shiver and look up at the most frightening form he would ever see. Giving a girlish shriek, he dived into the river out of reflexes alone to escape the figure threatening him with a sword.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"What was that?" The armored mage awoke roughly at the sudden scream, looking left and right, he spotted the cat called Happy gazing in one direction with his eyes wide and his wings ready to take him towards the source of the cry. But where was the kid?

"R-roy!" Happy called for his friend in worry, summoning his wings to fly in his direction as fast as he could.

Ignifer grabbed the feline by the tail before it could slip away. "Wait a second; we don't know what happened to him…"

"B-but! He's in trouble! I've gotta help him!" Happy closed his eyes and tried to escape the strong hold on his tail, but the man had a good grasp on him to even let that happen.

"Easy there, whoever said I wasn't going?" Ignifer rose to his feet letting go of the cat's tail and took a look of his surroundings, ignoring the baffled-pained-grateful face he was getting from the cat that crashed against a tree when he let go of him. After his words from last night, Happy thought he would not look after the boy if he was seriously in trouble. "Where is he in the first place?"

"H-he went to the river," Happy pointed to the path used by his friend. "To get some water…"

'That moron…' Groaning inwardly, he nodded. "Let's go." Ignifer moved quickly, grabbing the cat from one of its small ears to put him on top of his helmet, wanting to keep him close and not lose him from sight. They sprinted towards the source of the scream and the river, hearing its gentle flow a few metres of distance away, which calmed the cat's nerves a bit but set the Dragon Slayer into alert. Since, there was something more moving close to it, more than just a kid, wild animals or the river. He sniffed the air around them and stopped dead in his tracks; there was something familiar in the smell swirling around. 'What's with this… scent?'

"Something's wrong?" The cat, who didn't hear the sniffing, asked when the man stopped his running. He didn't know why Ignifer stopped so he questioned his reasons, brightening up instantly and forgetting what he was going to ask next when a sweet smell entered his small nostrils. He drooled and bended in its direction, which happened to be to their right. "Oh! There are fruits ahead!"

Ignifer felt his blood ran cold and his body fill itself with dread. "F-fruits…?"

"Yeah!" Happy licked his lips hungrily, having tasted that in the past during his travels with the kid and finding it delicious. He gave his most honest answer, much to the guy's nerves. "Strawberries!"

'Oh… no… that stranger feeling of yesterday and now f-fruits… s-s-s-s-strawberries…! Don't tell me…! Please! Don't tell me she's here!' The armored mage was a nervous wreck now; he barely managed to put those thoughts together before he had to dodge an ice spear coming from above. He dashed and crouched behind a rock to stare at the attack that almost impaled him. 'And that ice-lolly is with her…!' She was there, and that other guy came with her. 'I'm screwed!'

"W-what was that?!" The cat squeaked, his wings taking him up in the air to survey their surroundings. He saw something blurry pass through the bushes behind the armored mage and lunge towards him. He immediately tried to warn the guy before it was too late. "Ignifer!"

Ignifer knew what was coming to him. And he certainly didn't wish to die yet, so he decided it was best to leave the blue cat out of it and yell to him to stay where he was or leave as fast as his little wings could take him. 'Lucky bastard!' He wished he could fly as well, or use teleportation without having to concentrate on the spell. "Cat! Stay…!"

"Just where. Have. You. Been?" A voice growled next to the paling Dragon Slayer with a sword being pressed close to his throat, stopping his warnings before they could even be formed. He recognized that voice, hell, he would recognize it anywhere, even if it was as shadowed as now and growling like a feral animal. It didn't take a genius to notice that, the owner of the voice, who was pressing its sword against him strongly and holding his arm with a grip that cut his blood circulation like a tourniquet was no other than the woman who he didn't want to face just yet. "Natsu."

'Oh, please… someone… save me.' He shakily moved his head to the side to see over his shoulder, sweat formed on his forehead as he shivered in anticipation of confirming his fears. 'Save me, save me, save me, save me…' He was meeting eyes with two diabolic red dots. Erza was glowering at him with every bit of her being, her hair adding up to her scary atmosphere by standing up in the air by the tips… to the guy's increasing dread. He raised a hand up to wave at the woman behind him, his action earning him a stronger pressure on his arm and neck. "H-hi, Titania…"

The Knight's anger grew at hearing, not her name, but her title being mentioned by the man she set herself to find. How could he?! She was worried sick about him and his state after the great stunt he pulled in order to save her friends and her from utter destruction, and when the moment comes, when she finally meets up with him again…

…he has the audacity to mutter not her name but her title?!

On a side note: let's add to the situation that she was enraged after hearing him state that he wanted to stay where he was because of another woman.

* * *

"_How are you doing, Ignifer?" Makarov asked to the armored figure inside the communication lacrima, seeing him shrug nonchalantly._

"_I'm fine now," the man started to explain. "Wendy managed to heal most of my internal wounds. I should be good as new in a couple days."_

"_Ah, that's good." Makarov nodded, throwing a cautious glance to the wizards quietly listening to the conversation going on inside his office, especially the scarlet-haired woman standing in the middle. Here they were; the head-barmaid, the local stripper and the stoic knight… who didn't look that much stoic at the moment with her eyes screaming worry to everyone. The old man knew without a doubt that she blamed herself for how the pink-haired got those injuries in the first place, and how he later worsened them. "I assume you'll be returning soon then."_

"_Hehehe~" Oh, that mischievous laugh already foretold pain for everyone. Ignifer scratched the side of his helmet, looking down sheepishly. "About that… I was wondering if I could stay a few more days…"_

"_Uh? Why?" Makarov had a bad feeling coming, and they never came for naught. He saw Erza trying to leave the room only for Gray and Mira to stop her. Was she thinking about his well-being? He would have to ask him so she doesn't jump too quickly onto unfounded conclusions. "Is it because of your condition?"_

"_No, it's not that, you see," Erza's ears perked up at that, she wanted to hear more but that didn't halt her tries to get away. Ignifer pointed somewhere that could not be seen in the lacrima and continued. "I promised Wendy that I'd stay here a few days to catch up…"_

"_Catch up…?" The trio by the door asked in unison, all of them now stopping to look at the orb, all of them but the woman of scarlet hair._

"_Catch up?" Makarov was curious as his children, so he pushed forward with the questioning._

"_Yeah, well, I was friends with her during… my old days…" Ignifer looked down in trouble, not knowing how to address those darker times of his past. But he brightened up instantly, much to everyone's surprise. "She was a real friend back then, and she still is… so I wanted to stay some time to, you know, talk and stuff."_

"_Uh… huh…" The old man closed his eyes and tried to pretend that there wasn't an angry woman inside his office seeking for blood. "A-and how long… are you planning to stay?" 'Please, just some days, or one!'_

"_A week at most."_

'_You dumbass!' Was the thought that crossed through the minds of those fearing the caged beast nearby._

"_A-ah, that's too bad," he couldn't let the guild be destroyed, not for something like this; he had to convince him somehow. "Everyone's worried about you, Ignifer, if you could return earlier…"_

"_I know, Master, but this is something I gotta do," Oh, he was talking solemnly. Also, what's with the 'I know'? Does he think that everyone likes him? So full of himself the brat._

'_Please…! I forgive the first mistake! But, for Heaven's above, don't say what I think you're going to say!' The air was becoming heavy to breathe. The pressure was almost palpable._

"_She's very precious to me."_

'_W-w-w-w-we're doomed…' The three stared at the orb in shock. Gray and Mira backed away from the boiling point and rushed to take refuge on whatever that was closer, the old man's chair and desk being the only thing to protect them from certain death._

"_So, I need to do this." Ignifer finished with a tone that denoted his stubbornness on the matter, noticing too late the appalled face of the Fairy Tail Master. "Something wrong?"_

"_Y-you could say that…" Mira answered in Makarov's stead, showing her nervous yet smiling face to the armored mage, surprising him with her presence. "…are you sure you cannot return earlier? We're REALLY worried about you."_

'_And us! Mention 'us'!' Gray and Makarov thought together, hugging each other for dear life with their eyes never leaving the quiet but raging woman by the door._

_"I'll return as soon as I can..." He waved a hand in good bye, unknowingly digging the graves of the FT mages. "...see you."  
_

* * *

Oh, dear Lord was the man in for some punishment.

"Answer me, now." She pushed her blade harder against his throat, the withdrawal of her hand on his arm forcing the man to be closer to her and not escape her wrath.

Gray came from the river with the boy they captured a moment ago having his arms bounded with ice behind his back; the Ice wizard groaning in annoyance at seeing the situation while the boy was trying to find a way to get rid of his bindings and assist his companion.

"I… I was exploring this forest, nothing more." Natsu told her in all honesty, not wanting to feel her wrath. "Why are you here?"

"I came here because I heard you were doing more than that." Erza didn't lessen her hold nor softened her voice. She wasn't going to accept a simple excuse or tale like that. "Where are the Sky Priestess and that other woman you were enjoying your time with?"

Natsu's eyes widened at that. Could she…? "Don't tell me you…?"

"Yes, I heard enough." Erza nodded and pressed her sword even harder. The surface of his armor around the neck was starting to crack. "You've been fooling around with other women, haven't you?!"

'Oh, c'mon!' Natsu shook his head, despite the dangerousness of the task, and snorted at her accusation, earning a questioning glance from the other three spectators and a growl from the woman behind him. She was still so easy to tease. "Don't tell me you're talking about Wendy and Carla."

"And what if I am?! Don't laugh at this!" The mere mention of those two 'harlots', in her opinion, was enough to make her run her sword left and right slowly against his neck. A shrilling sound echoed around. The Dragon Slayer regretted his playful approach. "It is serious!"

"It is for you, at least," the armored mage told her flatly, making her lose grip of her sword at his shocking words. Was he telling her that their bond meant nothing to him? That everything, after all they had went through; her feelings meant nothing to him in the end? "Jealous because of something like this," He took advantage of her slight moment of weakness and turned around faster than what the eye could see, snatching the sword from her grasp and switching their positions. "I thought better of you," He now had her face to face with her own sword threatening to cut her throat, to what she gave a startled gasp. She stared helplessly at the visor of his helmet. "I thought you trusted me more than this!" He would not abide her to go and think that he was a careless free-spirited guy as he fooled everyone in the past to be, so, he went to talk the harsh way. "You thought I was here messing around with some other woman, weren't you? That I forgot about you and I was enjoying myself during my trip outside the guild? Well! I have news for you, Titania! I wasn't!"

"U-uh…?" She managed to blurt out after his rant. Her mind was still trying to grasp what he initially said.

"Hey…" Roy called for the brunette's attention, stopping on his task to stare at the strange conversation. Were they friends of the Advisor? The older guy looked down to see the boy's confused expression. He was still too young to understand the matters of the heart. The lucky bastard… "…what's going on?"

"You're better off not knowing, kid." Gray whispered harshly, growling unconsciously at the control the armored mage had over the Knight despite all that has happened. 'Dammit, Erza! React! I thought we're going to punish him!'

"So don't go and fuss about it!" Natsu let go of the sword and threw it aside, his eyes boring onto the brown eyes in front of him, despite the visor in the middle. "You think I'll go and enjoy my time with someone else when I have y-?!" He closed his mouth shut before the word came out, leaving an expectant Erza waiting for a word that would never come. He was still too afraid to admit what he was feeling towards her. He growled, feeling impotence overcome him, and turned in the direction of his camp, not wanting to continue further. His reaction sinking Erza's heart and aggravating Gray's boiling temper. "…whatever. Let go of the kid and go back to the guild."

"Ignifer-san…" Happy muttered sadly; his eyes following the retreating form of the armored mage before going to rest to the heart-broken Knight he left behind. He was no stranger to human emotions. He understood perfectly what was going on, even if his foster parent didn't, and couldn't help but feel sad at the outcome of the encounter.

"U-uh… I don't have a clue as to what happened…" Roy whispered carefully to the man clenching fists next to him, turning around to show his handcuffed arms. He didn't understand why they were arguing, or why Ignifer left like that, but he did understand that it was a serious matter for him and the woman. "…but can you untie me, please?"

The bindings were shattered without the guy having to spare a glance; Roy ran after the retreating swordsman with Happy flying his way to follow. All occurring while Gray glowered at the departing back of the former Councilman.

'T-that bastard…!' "Ice-make…!" He clashed his fist onto his open palm fiercely, aiming to destroy the man with his most destructive spell, but the Knight coming to stand in his way stopped him dry. He stared at the woman in disbelief. "Erza! Stay aside!"

"No." She answered monotonously, her voice giving away to Gray that she had no emotions left after the previous exchange. Her hair was covering her brown eyes from view, her fists were clenched. "He is right."

"Like hell he is!" Gray continued to channel his magic onto his hands, not losing sight of his target. He was even more upset after hearing her voice. Didn't he know her feelings? Didn't he care for her? What happened to the guy that knocked her out so Ryota could take her out of the Tower? Whatever. He didn't care for the answers. He wasn't going to let this slide. Hell! He was sure that if Ryota was also there seeing the same as him, he would have given the former Councilman a piece of his mind. "Ice-make! Birds!"


End file.
